Boles Acres climate

Boles Acres Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Alamogordo, 12.7 km from Boles Acres, elevation 4380 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Alamogordo. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around March 9 and the first fall freeze around November 18, a growing season of about 251 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 25, first November 8
Median at 32°F
last March 9, first November 18
Median at 28°F
last February 18, first November 29

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FApr 10Apr 6Apr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 8
32°FMar 31Mar 25Mar 19Mar 13Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 26Feb 18
28°FMar 17Mar 8Mar 2Feb 24Feb 18Feb 13Feb 7Feb 1Jan 26
24°FMar 1Feb 16Feb 7Feb 2Jan 29Jan 22Jan 15Jan 8Dec 30
20°FFeb 7Jan 31Jan 23Jan 13Jan 7Jan 2Dec 28Dec 22Dec 15
16°FFeb 1Jan 16Jan 5Dec 31Dec 26Dec 21Dec 18Dec 14Dec 11

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 25Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 16Nov 21
32°FNov 3Nov 8Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 28Dec 3
28°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 4Dec 8Dec 14
24°FNov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 10Dec 15Dec 19Dec 24Jan 1
20°FDec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 20Dec 24Dec 29Jan 2Jan 12Jan 28
16°FDec 9Dec 13Dec 17Dec 19Dec 24Dec 28Jan 2Jan 10Jan 24

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F247239234229224220215209201
32°F274266261255251246240233224
28°F310300294287280275269261252
24°F346337330324316309301293280
20°F365365364357351344337330317
16°F365365365365365365365358346

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
98% of years
20°F or colder
70% of years
16°F or colder
24% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
2,700
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,036
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,540
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,891
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,414
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,119
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,002

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January651015
February457048
March3064191
April10650397
May13220673
June0482931
July0502967
August0448913
September7278721
October10251418
November3881122
December671018

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 12.7 km from Boles Acres. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00290199 (Alamogordo). Public domain.