Frost Dates for 81224 — Crested Butte, Colorado

Half of springs at Taylor Park, CO see their last 32°F night by June 20; only one in ten is past it by June 7, and one in ten still has one after July 2. Planting tender crops after June 25 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 28 20%, and after July 2 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 September 8 in half of years, as early as August 25 one year in ten, and holds off past September 19 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around September 22; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is June 16, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 80 days in a typical year, shorter than at 96% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 96 days one year in ten and falls short of 58 one year in ten. On average 254 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between October 22 and April 30.

July is the warmest month at Taylor Park, CO, averaging 72°F by day and 42°F at night; January is the coldest at 29°F and -8°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from September to June (a 90% chance or more). No month is safe from a 32°F night: even the warmest has at least a 10% chance. In spring, July still brings one in 12% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 551 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 98% of the 110 Colorado stations. 19% of them (106) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 225. Precipitation totals 18.9 inches a year, most in August (2.2") and least in June (0.9"); May to September bring 43% of it.

The nearest other station, Aspen 1SW, CO, 23 miles north of Crested Butte and 1,004 feet lower, has a last frost 18 days earlier (June 2), a first frost 15 days later (September 23), a season 33 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Crested Butte usually arrives around October 7, and the last of the season around May 19. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Crested Butte, CO, 0.9 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 32 days after the last snow.

ZIP 81224 is 20 miles from Taylor Park, CO, which stands at 9,179 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 81224 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.