Frost Dates for 85901 — Show Low, Arizona

Half of springs at Show Low Airport, AZ see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 20. Planting tender crops after May 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 14 20%, and after May 20 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 91% of the 98 Arizona stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 15 in half of years, as early as October 2 one year in ten, and holds off past October 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 7, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 162 days in a typical year, shorter than at 83% of the 98 Arizona stations; it reaches 181 days one year in ten and falls short of 141 one year in ten. On average 121 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 May 17, and return around October 7. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 27 and February 27.

July is the warmest month at Show Low Airport, AZ, averaging 85°F by day and 59°F at night; December is the coldest at 46°F and 23°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October 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 65% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,949 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 85% of the 102 Arizona stations. 33% of them (976) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 690. Precipitation totals 15.9 inches a year, most in August (3.0") and least in June (0.4"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Pinetop 2E, AZ, 12 miles southeast of Show Low and 789 feet higher, has a last frost 17 days later (May 22), a first frost 9 days earlier (October 6), a season 24 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Show Low usually arrives around November 28, and the last of the season around March 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Show Low Airport, AZ, 1.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 70% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 38 days after the last snow.

ZIP 85901 is 2 miles from Show Low Airport, AZ, which stands at 6,411 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 85901 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.