USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 80106 — Elbert, Colorado
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Eastonville 2 NNW, CO (7,210 ft), 3 miles southwest.
Updated
In Elbert, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 29 in half of years and has passed by June 13 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around September 21, as early as September 9 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 114 days (NOAA, Eastonville 2 NNW, CO).
- Last spring frost
- May 29
- First fall frost
- September 21
- Growing season
- 114 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- October 7
- Last snow
- May 22
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 101.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
28 of 28 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Elbert
Half of springs at Eastonville 2 NNW, CO see their last 32°F night by May 29; only one in ten is past it by May 15, and one in ten still has one after June 13. Planting tender crops after June 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 7 20%, and after June 13 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 56% of the 110 Colorado stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 21 in half of years, as early as September 9 one year in ten, and holds off past October 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around September 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 30, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 114 days in a typical year, shorter than at 72% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 132 days one year in ten and falls short of 96 one year in ten. On average 212 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 13 days longer, to about June 11, and return around September 12. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between October 25 and April 7.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 30 | Jun 3 | Jun 6 | Jun 8 | Jun 11 | Jun 14 | Jun 17 | Jun 21 | Jun 25 |
| 32°F | May 15 | May 18 | May 22 | May 25 | May 29 | May 31 | Jun 3 | Jun 7 | Jun 13 |
| 28°F | May 2 | May 5 | May 8 | May 11 | May 14 | May 16 | May 19 | May 24 | May 30 |
| 24°F | Apr 18 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 7 | May 11 | May 15 |
| 20°F | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 2 | May 6 |
| 16°F | Mar 20 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 21 | Apr 28 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 1 | Sep 5 | Sep 8 | Sep 10 | Sep 12 | Sep 14 | Sep 16 | Sep 18 | Sep 22 |
| 32°F | Sep 9 | Sep 13 | Sep 15 | Sep 18 | Sep 21 | Sep 23 | Sep 25 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 |
| 28°F | Sep 16 | Sep 21 | Sep 24 | Sep 27 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 10 |
| 24°F | Sep 25 | Sep 29 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 7 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 |
| 20°F | Oct 3 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 30 |
| 16°F | Oct 10 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Eastonville 2 NNW, CO, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 80106 →Compare Elbert with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Black Forest 6WNW, CO, 15 miles southwest of Elbert and 253 feet lower, has a last frost 18 days earlier (May 11), a first frost 15 days later (October 6), a season 33 days longer.
When it snows in Elbert, Colorado
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Elbert usually arrives around October 7, and the last of the season around May 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Eastonville 2 NNW, CO, 3.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 7 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 80106
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 20 – April 3 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| April 3 – April 17 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| May 1 – May 15 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 29 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by June 29 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 7 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 21 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 80106 is 3 miles from Eastonville 2 NNW, CO, which stands at 7,210 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 80106 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.