USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 80920 — Colorado Springs, Colorado
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Cumbre Vista - Colorado Spgs 1, CO (6,942 ft), 3 miles east.
Updated
In Colorado Springs, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 9 in half of years and has passed by May 20 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 6, as early as September 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 150 days (NOAA, Cumbre Vista - Colorado Spgs 1, CO).
- Last spring frost
- May 9
- First fall frost
- October 6
- Growing season
- 150 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 22
- Last snow
- May 2
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 55.2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
15 of 15 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Colorado Springs
Half of springs at Cumbre Vista - Colorado Spgs 1, CO see their last 32°F night by May 9; only one in ten is past it by April 28, and one in ten still has one after May 20. Planting tender crops after May 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 15 20%, and after May 20 10%. The 11 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 97% of the 110 Colorado stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 6 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 11, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 150 days in a typical year, longer than at 61% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 163 days one year in ten and falls short of 132 one year in ten. On average 180 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 9 days longer, to about May 18, and return around September 29. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 8 and March 26.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 8 | May 11 | May 14 | May 16 | May 18 | May 21 | May 24 | May 27 | Jun 1 |
| 32°F | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 3 | May 6 | May 9 | May 11 | May 13 | May 15 | May 20 |
| 28°F | Apr 16 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 1 | May 4 | May 7 | May 11 |
| 24°F | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 3 |
| 20°F | Mar 20 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 25 |
| 16°F | Mar 4 | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 16 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 18 | Sep 23 | Sep 25 | Sep 27 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 |
| 32°F | Sep 27 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 |
| 28°F | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 9 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 |
| 24°F | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 3 |
| 20°F | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 16 |
| 16°F | Oct 21 | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Cumbre Vista - Colorado Spgs 1, 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 80920 →Compare Colorado Springs with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Black Forest 6WNW, CO, 6 miles north of Colorado Springs, has a last frost 2 days later (May 11), the same first-frost date, a season 3 days shorter.
When it snows in Colorado Springs, Colorado
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Colorado Springs usually arrives around October 22, and the last of the season around May 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Colorado Springs 5.7 WNW, CO, 5.5 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 80920
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 28 – March 14 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 14 – March 28 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 11 – April 25 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 9 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 14 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 22 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 6 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 80920 is 3 miles from Cumbre Vista - Colorado Spgs 1, CO, which stands at 6,942 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 7 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 80918 (Colorado Springs). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 80920 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.