USDA Hardiness Zone 5b

Frost Dates for 81201 — Salida, Colorado

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Salida, CO (7,160 ft), 1 miles east.

Updated October 28, 2026

In Salida, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 29 in half of years and has passed by June 12 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around September 20, as early as September 8 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 112 days (NOAA, Salida, CO).

Last spring frost: May 29
First fall frost: September 20
Growing season: 112 days
Hardiness zone: 5b

First snow: October 29
Last snow: April 26
Winters with snow: 100%
Snow per year: 36.7"

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Frost risk by date in Salida

Half of springs at Salida, CO see their last 32°F night by May 29; only one in ten is past it by May 15, and one in ten still has one after June 12. Planting tender crops after June 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 6 20%, and after June 12 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 45% of the 110 Colorado stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 20 in half of years, as early as September 8 one year in ten, and holds off past September 30 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around September 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 31, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 112 days in a typical year, shorter than at 75% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 130 days one year in ten and falls short of 95 one year in ten. On average 201 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 12 days longer, to about June 10, and return around September 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between October 27 and April 9.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low	90%	80%	70%	60%	50%	40%	30%	20%	10%
36°F	May 29	Jun 2	Jun 4	Jun 7	Jun 10	Jun 13	Jun 16	Jun 21	Jun 26
32°F	May 15	May 20	May 23	May 26	May 29	Jun 1	Jun 3	Jun 6	Jun 12
28°F	May 3	May 8	May 11	May 15	May 17	May 20	May 22	May 26	May 31
24°F	Apr 20	Apr 26	Apr 30	May 3	May 5	May 8	May 11	May 15	May 19
20°F	Apr 7	Apr 11	Apr 15	Apr 19	Apr 22	Apr 27	May 1	May 4	May 9
16°F	Mar 21	Mar 29	Apr 1	Apr 5	Apr 9	Apr 13	Apr 18	Apr 22	Apr 28

Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low	10%	20%	30%	40%	50%	60%	70%	80%	90%
36°F	Aug 29	Sep 2	Sep 5	Sep 8	Sep 10	Sep 12	Sep 14	Sep 17	Sep 20
32°F	Sep 8	Sep 13	Sep 15	Sep 18	Sep 20	Sep 21	Sep 24	Sep 26	Sep 30
28°F	Sep 18	Sep 22	Sep 25	Sep 27	Sep 29	Oct 1	Oct 3	Oct 6	Oct 11
24°F	Sep 27	Oct 1	Oct 3	Oct 5	Oct 8	Oct 11	Oct 15	Oct 18	Oct 22
20°F	Oct 4	Oct 9	Oct 13	Oct 17	Oct 19	Oct 22	Oct 24	Oct 27	Nov 1
16°F	Oct 13	Oct 18	Oct 21	Oct 24	Oct 27	Oct 30	Nov 2	Nov 5	Nov 10

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Salida, 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 81201 →Compare Salida with another place →

Frost risk through the year in Salida

Frost curve for Salida, Colorado (Salida, CO, NOAA 1991–2020): the chance of another 32°F night falls from 90% on May 15 to 50% on May 29 and 10% on June 12; the chance that the first fall one has come rises from 10% on September 8 to 50% on September 20 and 90% on September 30. — In Salida, the spring curve drops under 10% on June 12 and the fall curve passes 10% on September 8, 88 days later; that gap is shorter than at 71% of the 110 Colorado stations with frost dates. The spring risk falls from 90% to 10% over 28 days (May 15 to June 12) and the fall risk climbs from 10% to 90% over 22 days (September 8 to September 30): the last frost moves more from year to year than the first. At Buena Vista 2S, CO, 21 miles north, the same gap runs from June 11 to September 10, 3 days longer.

Chance of a frost after each planting date in Salida
Planted on	Another 32°F night	28°F night
May 15	over 90%	60%
May 22	73%	30%
May 2950% date	50%	14%
Jun 5	23%	under 10%
Jun 12	under 10%	under 10%
Jun 19	under 10%	under 10%

Weather by month in Salida

July is the warmest month at Salida, CO, averaging 86°F by day and 49°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 12°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from September 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 40% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,855 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 66% of the 110 Colorado stations. 29% of them (543) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 541. Precipitation totals 9.1 inches a year, most in August (1.5") and least in January (0.3"); May to September bring 56% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Salida, CO
Month	High °F	Low °F	Precip. in	32°F night	Nights ≤ 32°F	GDD 50°F
Jan	43	12	0.3	100%	30	0
Feb	46	15	0.3	100%	27	0
Mar	54	21	0.7	100%	28	3
Apr	60	28	1.1	100%	22	26
May	70	35	1.0	99%	8	132
Jun	82	43	0.5	40%	1	382
Jul	86	49	1.4	0%	0	541
Aug	83	47	1.5	0%	0	470
Sep	77	39	0.7	92%	5	249
Oct	65	29	0.9	100%	22	49
Nov	53	20	0.3	100%	28	3
Dec	43	13	0.4	100%	30	0

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Salida, CO (7,160 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Buena Vista 2S, CO, 21 miles north of Salida and 794 feet higher, has a last frost 2 days earlier (May 27), a first frost 3 days later (September 23), a season 4 days longer.

Frost dates for 81211 (Buena Vista) →

When it snows in Salida, Colorado

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Salida usually arrives around October 29, and the last of the season around April 26. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Salida, 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 33 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 81201

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Salida, Colorado
When	What to do
March 20 – April 3	Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
April 3 – April 17	Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
May 1 – May 15	Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
May 29 onward	Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by June 28	Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by September 6	Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
September 20 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 81201 is 1 mile from Salida, CO, which stands at 7,160 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 81201 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.

Frost dates across Colorado →

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.