Santa Fe County climate

Santa Fe County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Santa Fe Seton, 11.2 km from Santa Fe County, elevation 7000 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Santa Fe Seton. 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 2 and the first fall freeze around October 17, a growing season of about 167 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 11, first October 8
Median at 32°F
last May 2, first October 17
Median at 28°F
last April 22, first October 27

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 26May 20May 17May 14May 11May 9May 6May 3Apr 29
32°FMay 14May 10May 7May 4May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 23Apr 19
28°FMay 6May 1Apr 29Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 15Apr 11Apr 6
24°FApr 26Apr 19Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 24Mar 17
20°FApr 7Apr 2Mar 28Mar 22Mar 17Mar 12Mar 8Mar 4Feb 26
16°FMar 21Mar 13Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 23Feb 18Feb 12Feb 3

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 26Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 8Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 20
32°FOct 4Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 17Oct 20Oct 22Oct 26Oct 28
28°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 9
24°FOct 20Oct 25Oct 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 15Nov 19
20°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 7Nov 12Nov 16Nov 18Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29
16°FNov 8Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13

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°F166160155152148145141136129
32°F185178174171167163159155148
28°F207200195191187183179173167
24°F235227221217212207201196188
20°F268259253247242236230223213
16°F299290283276271265260252244

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
5,606
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
554
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,965
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,766
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,735
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,860
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,132

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,03700
February83401
March705016
April485069
May22918276
June25133558
July4204665
August10151606
September9648405
October4021131
November74609
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 11.2 km from Santa Fe 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 USC00298088 (Santa Fe Seton). Public domain.