Frost Dates for 88401 — Tucumcari, New Mexico

Half of springs at Tucumcari 4 NE, NM see their last 32°F night by April 18; only one in ten is past it by April 2, and one in ten still has one after May 2. Planting tender crops after April 23 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 28 20%, and after May 2 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 66% of the 70 New Mexico stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 25 in half of years, as early as October 11 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 22, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 189 days in a typical year, longer than at 64% of the 70 New Mexico stations; it reaches 208 days one year in ten and falls short of 170 one year in ten. On average 101 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 11 days longer, to about April 29, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 4 and February 21.

July is the warmest month at Tucumcari 4 NE, NM, averaging 95°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 53°F and 25°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 14% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,624 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 76% of the 70 New Mexico stations. 38% of them (1,759) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 933. Precipitation totals 16.0 inches a year, most in July (2.8") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 66% of it.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Tucumcari usually arrives around November 28, and the last of the season around March 15. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Tucumcari 4 NE, NM, 8.4 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 34 days after the last snow.

ZIP 88401 is 8 miles from Tucumcari 4 NE, NM, which stands at 4,086 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 88401 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.