Frost Dates for 81301 — Durango, Colorado

Half of springs at Durango, CO see their last 32°F night by May 21; only one in ten is past it by May 7, and one in ten still has one after June 7. Planting tender crops after May 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 1 20%, and after June 7 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 85% of the 110 Colorado stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 2 in half of years, as early as September 19 one year in ten, and holds off past October 15 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 27, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 134 days in a typical year, shorter than at 59% of the 110 Colorado stations; it reaches 152 days one year in ten and falls short of 112 one year in ten. On average 180 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 2, and return around September 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 11 and March 13.

July is the warmest month at Durango, CO, averaging 85°F by day and 53°F at night; January is the coldest at 39°F and 13°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 23% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,089 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 59% of the 110 Colorado stations. 29% of them (604) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 587. Precipitation totals 19.7 inches a year, most in August (2.3") and least in June (0.5"); May to September bring 41% of it.

The nearest other station, Durango La Plata Co Airport, CO, 12 miles southeast of Durango, has a last frost 11 days later (June 1), a first frost 5 days earlier (September 27), a season 18 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Durango usually arrives around November 11, and the last of the season around April 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Durango, CO, 0.5 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 35 days after the last snow.

ZIP 81301 is under a mile from Durango, CO, which stands at 6,761 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 81301 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.