Homestead Meadows South climate

Homestead Meadows South Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for El Paso 32 Ene, 19.4 km from Homestead Meadows South, elevation 5240 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for El Paso 32 Ene. 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 24 and the first fall freeze around November 11, a growing season of about 230 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 9, first November 1
Median at 32°F
last March 24, first November 11
Median at 28°F
last March 4, first November 25

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

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°F229221214209204200195189181
32°F260249242236230224219213202
28°F293282276270264257249241231
24°F331319311304297289282273260
20°F365359352345335328320307295
16°F365365365365365364357346331

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
99% of years
20°F or colder
84% of years
16°F or colder
39% 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
2,892
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,729
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,072
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,448
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,004
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,745
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,655

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January683011
February503037
March3402164
April15027333
May23175617
June0401850
July0434899
August0403868
September7238681
October11647402
November3963126
December673016

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 19.4 km from Homestead Meadows South. 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 USC00412794 (El Paso 32 Ene). Public domain.