Frost Dates for 87036 — Mountainair, New Mexico

Half of springs at Mountainair, NM see their last 32°F night by May 2; only one in ten is past it by April 18, and one in ten still has one after May 18. Planting tender crops after May 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 13 20%, and after May 18 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 56% of the 70 New Mexico stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 19 in half of years, as early as October 4 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 30; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 7, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 167 days in a typical year, shorter than at 51% of the 70 New Mexico stations; it reaches 188 days one year in ten and falls short of 145 one year in ten. On average 153 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 14, and return around October 9. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 26 and March 3.

July is the warmest month at Mountainair, NM, averaging 87°F by day and 59°F at night; December is the coldest at 47°F and 22°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 57% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,128 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 57% of the 70 New Mexico stations. 35% of them (1,086) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 718. Precipitation totals 12.9 inches a year, most in July (2.5") and least in February (0.4"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Estancia 4N, NM, 26 miles northeast of Mountainair and 380 feet lower, has a last frost 16 days later (May 18), a first frost 18 days earlier (October 1), a season 32 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Mountainair usually arrives around November 29, and the last of the season around March 19. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Mountainair, NM, 1.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 81% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 44 days after the last snow.

ZIP 87036 is 2 miles from Mountainair, NM, which stands at 6,520 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 87036 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.