Frost Dates for 86512 — Sanders, Arizona

Half of springs at Sanders, AZ see their last 32°F night by May 22; only one in ten is past it by May 5, and one in ten still has one after June 10. Planting tender crops after June 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 4 20%, and after June 10 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 61% of the 98 Arizona stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 8 in half of years, as early as September 25 one year in ten, and holds off past October 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 17; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 31, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 138 days in a typical year, shorter than at 93% of the 98 Arizona stations; it reaches 161 days one year in ten and falls short of 115 one year in ten. On average 159 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 13 days longer, to about June 4, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 17 and March 14.

July is the warmest month at Sanders, AZ, averaging 90°F by day and 56°F at night; January is the coldest at 48°F and 19°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 31% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,843 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 87% of the 102 Arizona stations. 29% of them (828) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 722. Precipitation totals 8.2 inches a year, most in August (1.4") and least in June (0.1"); May to September bring 43% of it.

The nearest other station, Zuni, NM, 28 miles east of Sanders and 458 feet higher, has a last frost 7 days later (May 29), a first frost 6 days earlier (October 2), a season 11 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sanders usually arrives around December 23, and the last of the season around February 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Sanders, AZ, 4.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 58% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 102 days after the last snow.

ZIP 86512 is 5 miles from Sanders, AZ, which stands at 5,853 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 86512 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.