Carrizozo climate

Carrizozo Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Carrizozo 1SW, 2.2 km from Carrizozo, elevation 5405 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Carrizozo 1SW. 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 April 27 and the first fall freeze around October 20, a growing season of about 175 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 5, first October 11
Median at 32°F
last April 27, first October 20
Median at 28°F
last April 14, first October 30

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°FMay 18May 14May 10May 7May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 22
32°FMay 8May 5May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 17Apr 11
28°FMay 1Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 14Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Mar 29
24°FApr 19Apr 11Apr 7Apr 4Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 17Mar 9
20°FApr 8Mar 31Mar 25Mar 20Mar 15Mar 10Mar 5Feb 28Feb 21
16°FMar 19Mar 13Mar 7Mar 3Feb 26Feb 20Feb 12Feb 6Jan 29

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°FSep 28Oct 2Oct 5Oct 8Oct 11Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22
32°FOct 7Oct 11Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 2
28°FOct 15Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11
24°FOct 22Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 19
20°FOct 30Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 30
16°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 19Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 15

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°F175168164160157154150146139
32°F194188183179175172168162157
28°F217211205200196192188183176
24°F243236229224218213209202195
20°F270261255249244239233227218
16°F306294287279273267261253243

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
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% 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
4,181
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,000
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,323
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,914
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,692
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,641
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,740

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January86001
February64508
March518059
April2794199
May8064450
June2250697
July0310775
August2255718
September30111531
October2667229
November623024
December87701

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 2.2 km from Carrizozo. 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 USC00291515 (Carrizozo 1SW). Public domain.