Sunland Park climate

Sunland Park Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Santa Teresa AP, 14 km from Sunland Park, elevation 4109 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Santa Teresa 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 March 23 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 231 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 6, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 23, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 5, first November 19

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 23Apr 17Apr 13Apr 10Apr 6Apr 4Apr 1Mar 28Mar 19
32°FApr 9Apr 3Mar 31Mar 27Mar 23Mar 18Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3
28°FMar 25Mar 18Mar 11Mar 8Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 16
24°FMar 10Mar 4Mar 1Feb 23Feb 19Feb 15Feb 10Feb 5Jan 28
20°FFeb 26Feb 18Feb 13Feb 8Feb 1Jan 26Jan 19Jan 10Dec 30
16°FFeb 14Feb 7Jan 30Jan 19Jan 11Jan 4Dec 29Dec 21Dec 12

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 21Oct 25Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14
32°FOct 29Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23
28°FNov 4Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 4
24°FNov 13Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 10Dec 17
20°FNov 24Nov 30Dec 3Dec 8Dec 13Dec 18Dec 23Dec 30Jan 9
16°FDec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 21Dec 27Jan 1Jan 6Jan 18Feb 2

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°F228222217213209205200195188
32°F256247241236231227223217209
28°F280272266261256252247241232
24°F311300293287282276270263254
20°F348337329322313307300293279
16°F365365365361352345335328315

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
97% of years
16°F or colder
61% 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
2,753
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,086
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,556
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,921
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,454
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,165
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,045

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January662012
February482048
March3084192
April11240380
May19214660
June0463913
July0518983
August0480945
September3297744
October9168445
November3991116
December677015

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 14 km from Sunland Park. 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 USC00298127 (Santa Teresa AP). Public domain.