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USDA Hardiness Zone 9b

Frost Dates for 85340 — Litchfield Park, Arizona

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Litchfield Park, AZ (1,040 ft), 3 miles east.

Updated

A freeze (32°F) reaches Litchfield Park in 77% of winters. When it does, the first fall frost comes around December 24 and the last spring frost around January 7; after February 5 the chance of another is under 8%.

Last spring frost
January 7

50%, in freezing years

First fall frost
December 24

50%, in freezing years

Winters with a freeze
77%

32°F or below, 1991–2020

Hardiness zone
9b

25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°C) coldest night

First snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
Rare

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
0%

0 of 20 observed

Snow per year
0"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Litchfield Park

In the 77% of winters that bring a 32°F night, half of springs at Litchfield Park, AZ see their last 32°F night by January 7; only one in ten is past it by December 17, and one in ten still has one after February 5. Counting the winters with no freeze at all, the risk of a 32°F night after February 5 is under 8% and after January 7 38%. The 29 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 79% of the 98 Arizona stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by December 24 in half of years, as early as December 6 one year in ten, and holds off past January 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F is less common: it came in 20% of winters. The freeze-free season lasts 351 days in a typical year, longer than at 94% of the 98 Arizona stations; it reaches 365 days one year in ten and falls short of 320 one year in ten. On average 7 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 24 days longer, to about January 31, and return around December 9. A 24°F night is unusual: 2% of winters had one.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°F99% of yrsJan 4Jan 13Jan 20Jan 26Jan 31Feb 4Feb 9Feb 15Feb 24
32°F77% of yrsDec 17Dec 24Dec 30Jan 3Jan 7Jan 12Jan 18Jan 26Feb 5
28°F20% of yrstoo rare for a date
24°F2% of yrstoo rare for a date
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F99% of yrsNov 24Nov 29Dec 3Dec 6Dec 9Dec 12Dec 16Dec 20Dec 28
32°F77% of yrsDec 6Dec 11Dec 16Dec 20Dec 24Dec 28Jan 1Jan 6Jan 16
28°F20% of yrstoo rare for a date
24°F2% of yrstoo rare for a date

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Litchfield Park, AZ, 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 85340 →Compare Litchfield Park with another place →

Weather by month in Litchfield Park

July is the warmest month at Litchfield Park, AZ, averaging 107°F by day and 81°F at night; December is the coldest at 65°F and 42°F. From March to November the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, February still brings one in 11% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 8,590 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 88% of the 102 Arizona stations. 41% of them (3,563) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 1,359. Precipitation totals 8.4 inches a year, most in February (1.2") and least in June (0.0"); May to September bring 33% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Litchfield Park, AZ
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan66431.045%3156
Feb70461.211%<1231
Mar78511.00%0448
Apr86570.30%0638
May94650.10%0924
Jun104740.00%01165
Jul107810.80%01359
Aug105811.10%01322
Sep99740.80%01096
Oct88610.60%0760
Nov75490.63%1362
Dec65420.950%4127

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Litchfield Park, AZ (1,040 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, Youngtown, AZ, 8 miles northeast of Litchfield Park, has a last frost 13 days later (January 20), a first frost 9 days earlier (December 15), a season 20 days shorter.

Frost dates for 85383 (Peoria) →

When it snows in Litchfield Park, Arizona

Measurable snow is rare here: only 0 of 20 winters from 1991 to 2020 recorded 0.1 inch or more at Litchfield Park, AZ, 2.5 miles away, so there is no typical first-snow date to plan around.

Where these figures come from

ZIP 85340 is 3 miles from Litchfield Park, AZ, which stands at 1,040 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 10 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 85326 (Buckeye). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 85340 in zone 9b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 25 to 30°F (-3.9 to -1.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.

Frost dates across Arizona →

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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 9b places in Arizona