Socorro climate

Socorro Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Socorro, 0.7 km from Socorro, elevation 4593 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Socorro. 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 25, a growing season of about 191 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 14
Median at 32°F
last April 16, first October 25
Median at 28°F
last March 31, first November 3

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 13May 8May 4May 1Apr 29Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 15
32°FMay 1Apr 27Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 8Apr 5Mar 31
28°FApr 17Apr 10Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 23Mar 19Mar 13
24°FApr 2Mar 28Mar 23Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 2Feb 25
20°FMar 16Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18Feb 13Feb 6
16°FMar 2Feb 23Feb 18Feb 13Feb 8Feb 4Jan 30Jan 24Jan 14

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 2Oct 6Oct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 11Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 5
28°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15
24°FOct 29Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 27
20°FNov 7Nov 14Nov 18Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8
16°FNov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 11Dec 17Dec 25

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°F185179175171168164159155147
32°F210203199195191186182177169
28°F236228223219215211206201195
24°F266258252246241237232226216
20°F295285279274269264259254244
16°F329318311305299293286280271

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
3,909
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,205
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,738
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,285
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,012
Growing degree days, base 55°F
2,913
Growing degree days, base 60°F
1,979

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January84502
February601014
March448087
April22710244
May6087492
June2276725
July0384849
August0312777
September24129555
October2527238
November585029
December86501

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 0.7 km from Socorro. 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 USC00298387 (Socorro). Public domain.