RIO GRANDE RSVR, COLORADO

Period of Record General Climate Summary - Growing Degree Days

Station:(057050) RIO GRANDE RESERVOIR
From Year=1977 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 0 0 1 18 134 340 530 474 278 86 3 0 1863
40 S 0 0 1 19 153 492 1022 1496 1774 1860 1863 1863 1863
45 M 0 0 0 2 48 201 375 320 144 23 0 0 1112
45 S 0 0 0 2 50 251 625 945 1090 1112 1112 1112 1112
50 M 0 0 0 0 9 87 222 173 47 2 0 0 539
50 S 0 0 0 0 9 96 317 490 537 539 539 539 539
55 M 0 0 0 0 1 19 88 55 6 0 0 0 169
55 S 0 0 0 0 1 20 108 163 169 169 169 169 169
60 M 0 0 0 0 0 1 14 5 0 0 0 0 20
60 S 0 0 0 0 0 1 15 20 20 20 20 20 20
Corn Growing Degree Days
50 M 0 2 11 44 146 287 381 343 245 129 21 1 1611
50 S 0 2 13 57 203 491 872 1215 1460 1589 1610 1611 1611
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