Frost Dates for 81125 — Center, Colorado

Half of springs at Center 4 SSW, CO see their last 32°F night by May 24; only one in ten is past it by May 9, and one in ten still has one after June 8. Planting tender crops after May 31 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 3 20%, and after June 8 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 24 in half of years, as early as September 12 one year in ten, and holds off past October 5 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 24, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 120 days in a typical year, shorter than at 65% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 139 days one year in ten and falls short of 101 one year in ten. On average 213 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 16 days longer, to about June 9, and return around September 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between October 29 and April 4.

July is the warmest month at Center 4 SSW, CO, averaging 80°F by day and 48°F at night; January is the coldest at 32°F and 4°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From July to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, June still brings one in 28% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,429 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 81% of the 110 Colorado stations. 28% of them (396) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 426. Precipitation totals 7.2 inches a year, most in July (1.3") and least in January (0.1"); May to September bring 61% of it.

The nearest other station, Del Norte 3ENE, CO, 13 miles southwest of Center and 172 feet higher, has a last frost 1 day earlier (May 23), a first frost 1 day later (September 25), a season 3 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Center usually arrives around November 19, and the last of the season around April 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Center 4 SSW, 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 43 days after the last snow.

ZIP 81125 is 6 miles from Center 4 SSW, CO, which stands at 7,673 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 81125 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.