SUMNER LAKE, NEW MEXICO

Period of Record General Climate Summary - Growing Degree Days

Station:(290205) ALAMOGORDO DAM
From Year=1939 To Year=1975
Growing Degree Days for Selected Base Temperature (F)
Base	Jan.	Feb.	Mar.	Apr.	May	Jun.	Jul.	Aug.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
40 M	111	139	297	536	833	1071	1199	1137	894	610	257	109	7194
40 S	111	250	547	1083	1916	2987	4187	5324	6218	6828	7085	7194	7194
45 M	47	63	175	390	678	921	1044	982	744	458	142	43	5688
45 S	47	109	285	675	1353	2275	3319	4301	5045	5503	5645	5688	5688
50 M	13	20	83	255	524	771	889	827	595	311	58	13	4359
50 S	13	33	115	370	894	1665	2555	3382	3976	4288	4346	4359	4359
55 M	2	5	28	137	374	621	734	672	447	179	14	3	3215
55 S	2	6	34	171	545	1166	1900	2572	3019	3198	3212	3215	3215
60 M	0	1	6	54	231	472	579	517	302	79	1	0	2242
60 S	0	1	7	61	292	764	1343	1860	2162	2241	2242	2242	2242

Corn Growing Degree Days
50 M	119	138	244	372	533	677	779	743	575	406	210	122	4918
50 S	119	257	501	873	1406	2083	2862	3605	4180	4586	4796	4918	4918

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