Cedar Crest climate

Cedar Crest Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Albuquerque Foothills Ne, 11.4 km from Cedar Crest, elevation 5994 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Albuquerque Foothills Ne. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 184 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 2, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 21, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 6, first November 3

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

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 1Oct 5Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 16Oct 19Oct 22Oct 27
32°FOct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 7
28°FOct 19Oct 24Oct 27Oct 31Nov 3Nov 5Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17
24°FOct 30Nov 4Nov 7Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 28
20°FNov 10Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 14
16°FNov 23Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 25Jan 4

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°F182177171167164161156152145
32°F205199193188184180176171164
28°F235226220215210206201194186
24°F269260253248243237231224215
20°F302292284278273267263255246
16°F339328319312306300294285275

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
4,524
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,027
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,137
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,791
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,618
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,603
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,736

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January91800
February70405
March546056
April3222173
May11261418
June8246688
July0327792
August1268732
September47116520
October2996207
November642027
December92500

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 11.4 km from Cedar Crest. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00290225 (Albuquerque Foothills Ne). Public domain.