Enchanted Hills climate

Enchanted Hills Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rio Rancho #1, 6.4 km from Enchanted Hills, elevation 5230 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rio Rancho #1. 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 16 and the first fall freeze around October 23, a growing season of about 191 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 16
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last March 30, first November 2

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

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 4Oct 8Oct 11Oct 13Oct 16Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 26
32°FOct 12Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 5
28°FOct 20Oct 24Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
24°FOct 30Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 15Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24
20°FNov 8Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 25Nov 28Dec 3Dec 9
16°FNov 19Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 27

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°F186181177173169166163158153
32°F209203199195191187183178172
28°F239231226222218214210205198
24°F265258254249245241237232225
20°F293286279275270266261257248
16°F328318311306301295290284275

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
4,475
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,292
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,464
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,122
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,951
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,925
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,036

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January94700
February71404
March538054
April2825201
May10082450
June3304751
July0417882
August1338803
September25139564
October2807224
November649018
December93600

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 6.4 km from Enchanted Hills. 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 USC00297477 (Rio Rancho #1). Public domain.