The growing season across New Mexico varies considerably,
due to the large variation in elevation. The lowest
elevations are near 3,000 feet in the far southeast plains
(around Jal), while the highest elevations tower above 13,000
feet in the northern mountains (Wheeler Peak). The San Juan,
Rio Grande, Canadian and Pecos river valleys also affect
the growing season, as cold air sinks into the valleys on many
winter and spring nights.
See the graphic example farther below. To complicate matters,
there is often what is called a 'thermal belt' above the
cold pool of air in the valley. This is a layer of air that
is considerably warmer than farther down in the valley.
This thermal belt is usually located near the mid slope of
a mountain or more gently sloping terrain. A good example
exists around Albuquerque. At the valley floor, temperatures
can be ten or more degrees colder than at the Albuuqerque
Sunport, while the Sunport will generally be several degrees
warmer than the foothills.
A 'freeze' is considered to have occurred whenever the temperature
drops to 32 degrees or lower. A growing season is calculated
by taking the number of days between the last freeze in the
spring and the first freeze in the fall. However, plants
or crops do not necessarily follow this rule. A low temperature
of 31 or 32 degrees for a short period of time, say less
than two hours, probably will not harm most plants
or crops. But if the temperature drops to 28 or 29 degrees
for a few hours, most vegetation will be damaged. As a side
note, frost can form when a solid surface (like a car or
plants) is in contact with the air and the solid surface's
temperature drops to 32 degrees or colder. The extent of
the frost depends on how much moisture is in the air.
If the temperature is above 32 degrees and there is enough
moisture in the air, then dew (a liquid) forms instead of
frost (a solid).
The graphic
below displays probabilistic freeze data for locations
across New Mexico, including the 90th, 50th (average/mean),
and 10th
percentile
freeze dates. The 90th percentile spring freeze
date is equivalent
to saying that 90%
of
spring
freezes
occur
on or after
this
date,
the 50th percentile is the mean last date, and
the 10th percentile is equivalent to saying that 10%
of spring freezes occur on or after this date. Place
your cursor over a location to view the data. For
a tabular view of additional data, including latest freeze
dates across New Mexico, click
here.
The table below
shows the average, earliest and latest freeze (32 degrees
or colder) dates for locations around the Albuquerque metro
area, as well as the last freeze date in recent years.
Dates
of the Last Spring Freeze Around the Albuquerque Metro
Area
Location
Elev.
(ft)
Early
Average
Late
2007
2006
2005
2004
Sunport
(1931-2007)
5300
MAR
6, 2004
APR
16
MAY
7, 1982
APR
14
MAR
23
APR
1
MAR
6
Foothills (1991-2007)
6120
APR
12, 2005
APR
24
MAY
2, 1993
APR 22
APR 19
APR 12
MAY 1
S.
Valley (1948-2007)
4955
MAR
25, 2006
MAY
3
MAY
22, 1962
APR
14
MAR
25
APR
12
APR
12
Los Lunas (1957-2007)
4840
APR
3, 2000
MAY
2
MAY
23, 1975
APR 25
APR 21
MAY 12
MAY 1
Corrales
(1986-2007)
5015
APR
13, 1990
MAY
9
MAY
27, 1996
APR
22
APR
19
MAY
12
MAY
1
The table below reveals the average number of
days for the growing season around the Albuquerque metro area
(average number of days between the last freeze in the spring
and first freeze in the autumn each year.)
Average
Growing Season Albuquerque Metro Area
Location
Average
Days
Sunport
199
South Valley
182
Foothills
177
Los Lunas
165
Bernalillo
163
Sandia Park
150
Yearly growing season charts for the Albuquerque
Sunport and Los Lunas illustrate how the effects of elevation
and terrain can affect the growing season. The Los Lunas site
is located at a lower elevation (about 500 feet lower than the
Sunport) in the Rio Grande Valley, and cold air drainage
causes lower early morning temperatures. This typically results
in a shorter growing season near the valley floor.
Growing Season by Year for Albuquerque
(click map to enlarge)
Growing Season by Year for Los Lunas
(click map to enlarge)
National Weather Service
Albuquerque Weather Forecast Office
2341 Clark Carr LP SE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Ph: 505.243.0702
Web Master's Email: ABQ Webmaster
Page Author: WFO Albuquerque, NM
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