Tucumcari climate

Tucumcari Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tucumcari 4 Ne, 4.9 km from Tucumcari, elevation 4086 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tucumcari 4 Ne. 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 25, a growing season of about 189 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 29, first October 17
Median at 32°F
last April 18, first October 25
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 3May 1Apr 29Apr 26Apr 23Apr 19Apr 15
32°FMay 2Apr 28Apr 23Apr 20Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 2
28°FApr 22Apr 16Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 24Mar 17
24°FApr 8Apr 2Mar 29Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 13Mar 8Mar 3
20°FMar 26Mar 20Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 23Feb 16
16°FMar 15Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 21Feb 16Feb 12Feb 6Jan 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 2Oct 7Oct 11Oct 14Oct 17Oct 19Oct 21Oct 23Oct 27
32°FOct 11Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 2Nov 6
28°FOct 22Oct 27Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 16
24°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 18Nov 22Nov 28
20°FNov 5Nov 12Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Nov 30Dec 4Dec 9
16°FNov 13Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 8Dec 11Dec 17Dec 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°F185181177173170166163158153
32°F208201196193189186182177170
28°F235226221216212207203197191
24°F261253247240235231226219211
20°F285276271265259254249242233
16°F316305297289284279272265254

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
3,736
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,640
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,435
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,950
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,624
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,468
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,475

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January804013
February616033
March4603119
April24224266
May75134528
June3353801
July0468933
August1407871
September26211635
October20937320
November509291
December790016

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 4.9 km from Tucumcari. 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 USC00299156 (Tucumcari 4 Ne). Public domain.