CARLSBAD CAVERNS, NEW MEXICO

Period of Record General Climate Summary - Growing Degree Days

Station:(291480) CARLSBAD CAVERNS
From Year=1930 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	221	270	466	684	950	1141	1200	1168	956	732	413	247	8445
40 S	221	491	956	1640	2589	3730	4930	6098	7053	7785	8198	8445	8445
45 M	124	166	328	537	795	991	1045	1013	806	580	285	142	6810
45 S	124	290	618	1154	1949	2940	3985	4998	5803	6383	6668	6810	6810
50 M	57	88	206	395	640	841	890	858	657	432	173	67	5304
50 S	57	145	351	746	1386	2227	3117	3975	4631	5064	5236	5304	5304
55 M	20	36	110	263	487	691	735	703	510	292	86	24	3958
55 S	20	56	166	429	917	1608	2343	3045	3555	3847	3933	3958	3958
60 M	5	11	47	150	340	541	580	548	366	170	30	6	2795
60 S	5	16	63	213	554	1095	1675	2223	2589	2759	2789	2795	2795

Corn Growing Degree Days
50 M	136	168	289	434	618	746	802	786	634	454	243	150	5464
50 S	136	305	594	1028	1647	2393	3195	3982	4615	5070	5313	5464	5464

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