Placitas climate

Placitas Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Placitas 4W, 4.8 km from Placitas, elevation 5585 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Placitas 4W. 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 187 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 1, first October 12
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 23
Median at 28°F
last April 2, 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 15May 10May 7May 3May 1Apr 28Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16
32°FMay 5Apr 28Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16Apr 13Apr 8Apr 5Mar 31
28°FApr 21Apr 13Apr 8Apr 5Apr 2Mar 30Mar 26Mar 20Mar 15
24°FApr 4Mar 30Mar 23Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 24
20°FMar 21Mar 11Mar 6Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8Jan 31
16°FMar 3Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8Feb 4Jan 30Jan 24Jan 14Jan 2

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 29Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 25
32°FOct 8Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1Nov 4
28°FOct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15
24°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 21Nov 26
20°FNov 9Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 24Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9
16°FNov 22Nov 26Dec 1Dec 4Dec 8Dec 13Dec 17Dec 24Jan 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°F183176171167164160155150145
32°F209202197191187182177172163
28°F236228223218213209204198189
24°F266257251246242237231226218
20°F300292285279272267262255247
16°F342331324317311304297288277

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
98% 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
4,490
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,128
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,253
Growing degree days, base 45°F
4,899
Growing degree days, base 50°F
3,727
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,717
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,849

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January91601
February69404
March557047
April2995188
May11373429
June5261706
July0367832
August1297761
September34116533
October2899211
November651016
December93101

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 4.8 km from Placitas. 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 USC00296911 (Placitas 4W). Public domain.