USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 80814 — Divide, Colorado
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Divide 4NW, CO (9,134 ft), 3 miles northwest.
Updated
In Divide, the last spring frost (32°F) is around June 1 in half of years and has passed by June 17 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around September 21, as early as September 7 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 110 days (NOAA, Divide 4NW, CO).
- Last spring frost
- June 1
- First fall frost
- September 21
- Growing season
- 110 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 16
- Last snow
- May 10
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 58.9"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
28 of 28 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Divide
Half of springs at Divide 4NW, CO see their last 32°F night by June 1; only one in ten is past it by May 22, and one in ten still has one after June 17. Planting tender crops after June 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 11 20%, and after June 17 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 75% 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 7 one year in ten, and holds off past October 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around September 30; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is June 2, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 110 days in a typical year, shorter than at 77% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 125 days one year in ten and falls short of 91 one year in ten. On average 216 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 14 days longer, to about June 15, and return around September 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between October 28 and April 22.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Jun 2 | Jun 5 | Jun 8 | Jun 12 | Jun 15 | Jun 18 | Jun 21 | Jun 25 | Jul 2 |
| 32°F | May 22 | May 25 | May 28 | May 31 | Jun 1 | Jun 4 | Jun 7 | Jun 11 | Jun 17 |
| 28°F | May 10 | May 14 | May 17 | May 19 | May 21 | May 24 | May 26 | May 30 | Jun 2 |
| 24°F | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 6 | May 9 | May 11 | May 14 | May 16 | May 19 | May 24 |
| 20°F | Apr 17 | Apr 22 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 4 | May 6 | May 10 | May 15 |
| 16°F | Apr 6 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 7 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Aug 27 | Sep 1 | Sep 4 | Sep 7 | Sep 10 | Sep 12 | Sep 15 | Sep 18 | Sep 23 |
| 32°F | Sep 7 | Sep 12 | Sep 15 | Sep 18 | Sep 21 | Sep 23 | Sep 25 | Sep 28 | Oct 2 |
| 28°F | Sep 17 | Sep 22 | Sep 25 | Sep 27 | Sep 30 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 14 |
| 24°F | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 |
| 20°F | Oct 4 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Nov 2 |
| 16°F | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 11 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Divide 4NW, 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 80814 →Compare Divide with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Ruxton Park, CO, 13 miles southeast of Divide, has a last frost 2 days later (June 3), a first frost 4 days earlier (September 17), a season 8 days shorter.
When it snows in Divide, Colorado
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Divide usually arrives around October 16, and the last of the season around May 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Florissant Fossil Bed, CO, 5.3 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 22 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 80814
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 23 – April 6 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| April 6 – April 20 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| May 4 – May 18 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| June 1 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 80814 is 3 miles from Divide 4NW, CO, which stands at 9,134 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 80863 (Woodland Park). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 80814 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.