Frost Dates for 81050 — La Junta, Colorado

Half of springs at La Junta, CO see their last 32°F night by April 26; only one in ten is past it by April 10, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 67% of the 110 Colorado stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 15 in half of years, as early as October 3 one year in ten, and holds off past October 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 29, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 171 days in a typical year, longer than at 95% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 188 days one year in ten and falls short of 154 one year in ten. On average 155 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 10 days longer, to about May 6, and return around October 7. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 20 and March 7.

July is the warmest month at La Junta, CO, averaging 93°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°F and 17°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 36% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,656 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 95% of the 110 Colorado stations. 35% of them (1,266) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 855. Precipitation totals 13.7 inches a year, most in July (2.2") and least in February (0.4"); May to September bring 59% of it.

The nearest other station, Rocky Ford 2 SE, CO, 9 miles west of La Junta, has a last frost 5 days later (May 1), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 8), a season 12 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in La Junta usually arrives around November 14, and the last of the season around April 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at La Junta, CO, 1 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 15 days after the last snow.

ZIP 81050 is 1 mile from La Junta, CO, which stands at 4,089 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 81050 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.