La Cienega climate

La Cienega Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Santa Fe CO Muni AP, 7.1 km from La Cienega, elevation 6344 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Santa Fe CO Muni AP. 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 May 4 and the first fall freeze around October 15, a growing season of about 164 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 14, first October 5
Median at 32°F
last May 4, first October 15
Median at 28°F
last April 23, first October 24

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

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

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°F162156152148145142138132127
32°F180175171167164160157152146
28°F203196191187183179175171164
24°F229222215211207203198192186
20°F261250244239235230224216209
16°F289281275269264259253246238

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
5,385
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
683
Growing degree days, base 40°F
5,222
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,004
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,950
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,053
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,297

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,02000
February80201
March673016
April446083
May18923311
June17158591
July1252716
August3192654
September7257436
October3851136
November74407
December1,03400

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 7.1 km from La Cienega. 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 USW00023049 (Santa Fe CO Muni AP). Public domain.