Pecos climate

Pecos Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Pecos 8W, 14.2 km from Pecos, elevation 2724 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Pecos 8W. 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 18 and the first fall freeze around November 10, a growing season of about 239 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 4, first November 2
Median at 32°F
last March 18, first November 10
Median at 28°F
last March 4, first November 20

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 22Apr 15Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 23Mar 14
32°FApr 5Mar 31Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Feb 28
28°FMar 20Mar 14Mar 10Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 26Feb 22Feb 15
24°FMar 9Mar 4Feb 28Feb 24Feb 20Feb 16Feb 10Feb 2Jan 24
20°FMar 1Feb 22Feb 14Feb 8Jan 31Jan 27Jan 18Jan 9Dec 31
16°FFeb 17Feb 7Feb 2Jan 27Jan 20Jan 10Jan 2Dec 25Dec 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 22Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14
32°FOct 29Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 19Nov 26
28°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 6
24°FNov 13Nov 18Nov 23Nov 26Nov 30Dec 4Dec 10Dec 15Dec 23
20°FNov 24Dec 1Dec 7Dec 13Dec 19Dec 24Jan 1Jan 6Jan 20
16°FDec 6Dec 12Dec 18Dec 24Jan 1Jan 5Jan 13Jan 24Feb 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°F237228222217212208204198191
32°F261254248244239234229222214
28°F285276270265261256251246238
24°F319306298292285279273265255
20°F360346336329320313306299287
16°F365365365365360352341331318

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
93% of years
16°F or colder
62% 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
2,351
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
2,535
Growing degree days, base 40°F
9,389
Growing degree days, base 45°F
7,708
Growing degree days, base 50°F
6,166
Growing degree days, base 55°F
4,787
Growing degree days, base 60°F
3,581

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January597041
February423395
March24228274
April71104485
May16312761
June0525975
July05671,032
August05581,023
September3330777
October73104499
November3584153
December569052

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 14.2 km from Pecos. 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 USC00416893 (Pecos 8W). Public domain.