Frost Dates for 85541 — Payson, Arizona

Half of springs at Payson, AZ see their last 32°F night by April 29; only one in ten is past it by April 13, and one in ten still has one after May 20. Planting tender crops after May 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 12 20%, and after May 20 10%. The 21 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 47% 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 October 24 in half of years, as early as October 11 one year in ten, and holds off past November 8 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 1, 19 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 176 days in a typical year, shorter than at 78% of the 98 Arizona stations; it reaches 198 days one year in ten and falls short of 153 one year in ten. On average 125 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 May 15, and return around October 14. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 93% of winters, usually between December 15 and January 29.

July is the warmest month at Payson, AZ, averaging 93°F by day and 60°F at night; December is the coldest at 55°F and 26°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 44% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,626 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 77% of the 102 Arizona stations. 32% of them (1,167) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 806. Precipitation totals 19.8 inches a year, most in July (2.8") and least in June (0.2"); May to September bring 38% of it.

The nearest other station, Natural Brg, AZ, 11 miles northwest of Payson and 242 feet lower, has a last frost 20 days earlier (April 9), a first frost 17 days later (November 10), a season 35 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Payson usually arrives around December 17, and the last of the season around February 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Payson, AZ, 3.7 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 60 days after the last snow.

ZIP 85541 is 4 miles from Payson, AZ, which stands at 4,850 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 85541 in zone 8b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 15 to 20°F (-9.4 to -6.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.