CHANGES IN THE SPATIOTEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF EARLY SPRING AND LATE AUTUMN FROSTS IN THE ARARAT BASIN

The paper analyzes and evaluates the patterns of spatiotemporal distribution of early spring and late autumn frosts observed in the air in the Ararat Basin. Frosts are dangerous agrometeorological phenomena that can partially or completely destroy agricultural crops. Frost is a short-term decrease in temperature to 0 degrees and below in the air or on the soil surface (grass), which is observed at night (in the evening, in the morning) during the growing season against the background of positive average daily air temperatures. Moreover, during frosts in the meteorological booth (at a height of 2 m) the temperature can be slightly above 0 degrees (up to +2+3 degrees). In the study area, late spring air frosts are observed on average from the 1st-2nd decade of April to the 1st-2nd decade of May, sometimes even in the 3rd decade of May, and early autumn frosts are observed in the 3rd decade of September-1st decade of October to the 1st decade of November.