Frost Dates for 81063 — Ordway, Colorado

Half of springs at Ordway 1 ENE, CO see their last 32°F night by May 2; only one in ten is past it by April 20, and one in ten still has one after May 14. Planting tender crops after May 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 10 20%, and after May 14 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 81% of the 110 Colorado stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 8 in half of years, as early as September 25 one year in ten, and holds off past October 19 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 6, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 159 days in a typical year, longer than at 78% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 174 days one year in ten and falls short of 141 one year in ten. On average 173 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 12, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 9 and March 16.

July is the warmest month at Ordway 1 ENE, CO, averaging 94°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 45°F and 12°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 58% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,440 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 90% of the 110 Colorado stations. 34% of them (1,165) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 851. Precipitation totals 11.1 inches a year, most in July (2.2") and least in January (0.2"); May to September bring 70% of it.

The nearest other station, Rocky Ford 2 SE, CO, 15 miles south of Ordway, has a last frost 1 day earlier (May 1), the same first-frost date.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ordway usually arrives around December 9, and the last of the season around March 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ordway 1 ENE, CO, 2.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 88% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 47 days after the last snow.

ZIP 81063 is 3 miles from Ordway 1 ENE, CO, which stands at 4,312 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 81063 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.