GREAT SAND DUNES NAT, COLORADO

Period of Record General Climate Summary - Growing Degree Days

Station:(053541) GREAT SAND DUNES N M
From Year=1950 To Year=2012
Growing Degree Days for Selected Base Temperature (F)
Base Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May Jun. Jul. Aug. Sep. Oct. Nov. Dec. Annual
40 M 1 2 32 135 367 635 798 725 503 220 22 1 3440
40 S 1 3 35 170 537 1171 1970 2695 3198 3417 3439 3440 3440
45 M 0 0 7 56 229 485 643 570 355 108 3 0 2457
45 S 0 0 7 63 292 777 1420 1991 2346 2454 2457 2457 2457
50 M 0 0 1 14 115 338 488 415 215 35 0 0 1622
50 S 0 0 1 15 130 468 957 1372 1587 1622 1622 1622 1622
55 M 0 0 0 2 40 201 334 261 96 5 0 0 939
55 S 0 0 0 2 42 243 577 839 934 939 939 939 939
60 M 0 0 0 0 8 90 183 118 24 0 0 0 423
60 S 0 0 0 0 8 98 281 399 423 423 423 423 423
Corn Growing Degree Days
50 M 1 5 39 121 255 409 504 450 325 173 31 2 2315
50 S 1 6 45 166 421 830 1334 1784 2109 2282 2313 2315 2315
M = Monthly Data
S - Running sum of monthly data.
Growing Degree Day units are computed as the difference between the daily average temperature and the base temperature. (Daily Ave. Temp. - Base Temp.) One unit is accumulated for each degree Fahrenheit the average temperature is above the base temperature. Negative numbers are discarded. Example: If the days high temperature was 95 and the low temperature was 51, the base 60 heating degree day units is ((95 + 51) / 2) - 60 = 13. This is done for each day of the month and summed.
Corn Growing Degree Day units have the limitations that the maximum daily temperatures greater than 86 F are set to 86 F and minimums less than 50 F are set to 50 F.
Table updated on Oct 31, 2012
Months with 5 or more missing days are not considered
Years with 1 or more missing months are not considered
Western Regional Climate Center, wrcc@dri.edu