El Paso County climate

El Paso County Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for El Paso Intl AP, 14.1 km from El Paso County, elevation 3918 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for El Paso Intl 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 2 and the first fall freeze around November 20, a growing season of about 261 days.

Median at 36°F
last March 18, first November 10
Median at 32°F
last March 2, first November 20
Median at 28°F
last February 16, first December 1

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

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 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23
32°FNov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2
28°FNov 15Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 4Dec 7Dec 11Dec 17
24°FNov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 19Dec 24Jan 1Jan 12
20°FDec 3Dec 10Dec 16Dec 22Dec 28Jan 2Jan 8Jan 18Feb 2
16°FDec 9Dec 16Dec 21Dec 26Jan 2Jan 8Jan 17Feb 1Feb 5

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°F257248242237233228223217210
32°F284277270266261256251245237
28°F315305298292286281275269261
24°F353342335328321314307298285
20°F365365365365359352344333320
16°F365365365365365365365365351

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
97% of years
20°F or colder
61% of years
16°F or colder
19% 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
2,206
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,662
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,627
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,917
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,347
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,953
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,729

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January572035
February3791100
March21520284
April62112501
May6329788
June05651,015
July06011,066
August05551,020
September3358806
October62114521
November3216174
December586038

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 14.1 km from El Paso County. 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 USW00023044 (El Paso Intl AP). Public domain.