Matador climate

Matador Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Matador, 1.7 km from Matador, elevation 2360 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Matador. 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 213 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 27
Median at 32°F
last April 5, first November 4
Median at 28°F
last March 25, first November 13

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

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 15Oct 18Oct 22Oct 24Oct 27Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 8
32°FOct 22Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 17
28°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 30
24°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20Nov 22Nov 26Nov 29Dec 3Dec 10
20°FNov 14Nov 21Nov 26Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 12Dec 19Dec 29
16°FNov 24Nov 30Dec 6Dec 12Dec 17Dec 24Dec 31Jan 8Jan 22

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°F212206201197194190185180173
32°F235226221217213209204199191
28°F261251244239234228224219211
24°F284275269263258252247241232
20°F313302295288281275271263253
16°F348335327318311304296287276

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
100% of years
16°F or colder
97% 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
3,349
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,910
Growing degree days, base 40°F
8,032
Growing degree days, base 45°F
6,503
Growing degree days, base 50°F
5,113
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,882
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,819

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January743030
February592155
March41313167
April20050323
May57185595
June2377825
July0502967
August1467931
September24240667
October16868385
November4457131
December707038

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 1.7 km from Matador. 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 USC00415658 (Matador). Public domain.