Fabens climate

Fabens Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Tornillo 2 Sse, 14.6 km from Fabens, elevation 3525 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Tornillo 2 Sse. 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 21 and the first fall freeze around November 6, a growing season of about 227 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first October 29
Median at 32°F
last March 21, first November 6
Median at 28°F
last March 5, first November 14

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 27Apr 21Apr 16Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 2Mar 29Mar 23
32°FApr 9Apr 4Mar 30Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5
28°FMar 20Mar 15Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Mar 2Feb 28Feb 24Feb 18
24°FMar 10Mar 4Feb 28Feb 25Feb 20Feb 16Feb 12Feb 7Jan 31
20°FFeb 28Feb 20Feb 14Feb 8Feb 3Jan 30Jan 24Jan 16Jan 3
16°FFeb 12Feb 3Jan 29Jan 22Jan 13Jan 5Dec 31Dec 23Dec 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 16Oct 20Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 9
32°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18
28°FNov 1Nov 6Nov 8Nov 12Nov 14Nov 17Nov 19Nov 23Nov 27
24°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 19Nov 23Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 3Dec 8
20°FNov 23Nov 29Dec 1Dec 5Dec 7Dec 10Dec 15Dec 20Dec 28
16°FDec 4Dec 9Dec 14Dec 20Dec 24Dec 30Jan 4Jan 15Jan 31

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°F221214209205201196192186178
32°F248242237232227222218213205
28°F273266260256252249244239232
24°F301292286282277272267261253
20°F339329322315308301295287278
16°F365365362354346339333325310

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
74% 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
2,487
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,048
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,751
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,071
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,549
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,211
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,047

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January622021
February417071
March2497238
April7762436
May11233687
June0455904
July0499964
August0460925
September5270716
October8560443
November3791127
December642018

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 14.6 km from Fabens. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

More

Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00419088 (Tornillo 2 Sse). Public domain.