La Huerta climate

La Huerta Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Carlsbad, 10.6 km from La Huerta, elevation 3120 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Carlsbad. 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 17 and the first fall freeze around November 12, a growing season of about 238 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 3, first November 3
Median at 32°F
last March 17, first November 12
Median at 28°F
last March 2, first November 23

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

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

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°F235226220216213209204198190
32°F261253247242238233227221215
28°F288281274269265260255248239
24°F324313305298292286281273263
20°F365352345336330322314303293
16°F365365365365362355349338327

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
92% of years
16°F or colder
55% 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
2,583
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,383
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,056
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,411
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,908
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,565
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,393

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January640034
February449179
March28312230
April9975432
May19265712
June0504954
July05771,042
August05381,003
September7318761
October9089469
November3655154
December631039

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 10.6 km from La Huerta. 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 USC00291469 (Carlsbad). Public domain.