Quay County climate

Quay County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tucumcari Muni AP, 9.9 km from Quay County, elevation 4065 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tucumcari 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 April 18 and the first fall freeze around October 26, a growing season of about 190 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 28, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 26
Median at 28°F
last April 4, first November 4

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

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

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°F187182177174170167163158151
32°F209203198194190187183178171
28°F233225220216211208203198191
24°F257250244240235231227222215
20°F283273267263257253247241232
16°F315302294287281275268262252

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
3,827
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,694
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,409
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,944
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,638
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,501
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,522

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January818011
February630031
March4692112
April24222257
May73138533
June2368816
July0484949
August1424888
September24216643
October21939310
November532176
December816014

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 9.9 km from Quay County. 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 USW00023048 (Tucumcari Muni AP). Public domain.