Truth or Consequences climate

Truth or Consequences Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Truth Or Consequences, 2.1 km from Truth or Consequences, elevation 4296 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Truth Or Consequences. 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 30 and the first fall freeze around November 5, a growing season of about 220 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 28
Median at 32°F
last March 30, first November 5
Median at 28°F
last March 10, first November 15

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

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

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°F217210206201198194190185178
32°F244236229225220216211205199
28°F271264258253247242237230220
24°F302292286280274270264257249
20°F340328321314308301293286276
16°F365365356349343336331322311

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
99% of years
16°F or colder
81% 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
2,885
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,041
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,394
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,777
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,340
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,077
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,982

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January685011
February484047
March3273175
April13238359
May21205650
June0458907
July05381,003
August0474939
September5273718
October11051413
November4222106
December699012

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 2.1 km from Truth or Consequences. 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 USC00299128 (Truth Or Consequences). Public domain.