Tularosa climate

Tularosa Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tularosa, 2.1 km from Tularosa, elevation 4422 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tularosa. 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 5 and the first fall freeze around November 4, a growing season of about 212 days.

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

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°F209203198194191186182178171
32°F236227221216212208204198191
28°F267258251246240234229223214
24°F302292284278272267261255246
20°F341332324317310303297288278
16°F365365361355349341334326313

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
79% 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
3,031
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,661
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,880
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,282
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,863
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,628
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,560

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January70509
February501038
March3542156
April15323324
May29153589
June0383832
July0446911
August0400865
September8219662
October13435373
November443193
December704011

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 Tularosa. 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 USC00299165 (Tularosa). Public domain.