Escobares climate

Escobares Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Rio Grande City, 15.4 km from Escobares, elevation 172 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Rio Grande City. 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 January 31 and the first fall freeze around December 17, a growing season of about 321 days.

Median at 36°F
last February 22, first December 1
Median at 32°F
last January 31, first December 17
Median at 28°F
last January 12, first December 29

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°FMar 14Mar 7Mar 2Feb 27Feb 22Feb 15Feb 8Feb 1Jan 22
32°FMar 4Feb 25Feb 15Feb 6Jan 31Jan 24Jan 17Jan 8Dec 29
28°FFeb 20Feb 5Jan 26Jan 19Jan 12Jan 6Dec 31Dec 25Dec 13
24°FFeb 8Jan 20Jan 12Jan 7Jan 3Jan 1Dec 27Dec 19Dec 11
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°FNov 11Nov 17Nov 22Nov 27Dec 1Dec 4Dec 9Dec 18Dec 28
32°FNov 22Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10Dec 17Dec 24Jan 1Jan 8Jan 20
28°FDec 2Dec 8Dec 17Dec 24Dec 29Jan 1Jan 7Jan 17Feb 1
24°FDec 8Dec 16Dec 21Dec 28Jan 1Jan 3Jan 7Jan 16Feb 1
20°F–––––––––
16°F–––––––––

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°F319309300292285279272264255
32°F358346337329321313304295283
28°F365365365364357349340331313
24°F365365365365365365365364350
20°F365365365365365365365365365
16°F365365365365365365365365365

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
93% of years
28°F or colder
60% of years
24°F or colder
23% of years
20°F or colder
4% of years
16°F or colder
0% 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
796
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
4,232
Growing degree days, base 40°F
12,566
Growing degree days, base 45°F
10,758
Growing degree days, base 50°F
8,984
Growing degree days, base 55°F
7,283
Growing degree days, base 60°F
5,692

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January25436277
February13580377
March59188597
April10330770
May1523987
June06371,087
July06841,149
August06901,155
September1524974
October12350803
November94139501
December23153309

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 15.4 km from Escobares. 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 USC00417622 (Rio Grande City). Public domain.