Eunice climate

Eunice Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Hobbs, 32.3 km from Eunice, elevation 3660 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Hobbs. 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 28 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 225 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 28, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 13, first November 19

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 24Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 9Apr 6Apr 4Mar 31Mar 27
32°FApr 13Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 15Mar 9
28°FApr 1Mar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 13Mar 9Mar 6Mar 1Feb 24
24°FMar 16Mar 11Mar 6Mar 3Feb 28Feb 24Feb 19Feb 13Feb 4
20°FMar 8Mar 2Feb 26Feb 20Feb 14Feb 7Feb 1Jan 23Jan 8
16°FFeb 28Feb 18Feb 9Feb 2Jan 26Jan 17Jan 8Jan 1Dec 19

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

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°F223216212208203200195191184
32°F249241234229225221217211204
28°F274267261255249244239233225
24°F304294288283278271267259250
20°F341329320313306300294287277
16°F365365356347340332323314304

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
79% 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
2,963
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,982
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,335
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,741
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,298
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,026
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,929

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January702019
February509158
March3487178
April13150377
May27223661
June0428877
July0508973
August0460925
September12242681
October12861408
November4273114
December679027

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 32.3 km from Eunice. 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 USC00294026 (Hobbs). Public domain.