USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
Frost Dates for 87043 — Placitas, New Mexico
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Placitas 4W, NM (5,585 ft), 2 miles west.
Updated
In Placitas, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 16 in half of years and has passed by May 5 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 23, as early as October 8 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 187 days (NOAA, Placitas 4W, NM).
- Last spring frost
- April 16
- First fall frost
- October 23
- Growing season
- 187 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 9
- Last snow
- March 20
- Winters with snow
- 86%
- Snow per year
- 10.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
18 of 21 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Placitas
Half of springs at Placitas 4W, NM see their last 32°F night by April 16; only one in ten is past it by March 31, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 24 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 28 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 87% of the 70 New Mexico stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 23 in half of years, as early as October 8 one year in ten, and holds off past November 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 21, 14 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 187 days in a typical year, longer than at 63% of the 70 New Mexico stations; it reaches 209 days one year in ten and falls short of 163 one year in ten. On average 118 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 15 days longer, to about May 1, and return around October 12. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes in 98% of winters, usually between December 8 and February 4.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 3 | May 7 | May 10 | May 15 |
| 32°F | Mar 31 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 5 |
| 28°F | Mar 15 | Mar 20 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 13 | Apr 21 |
| 24°F | Feb 24 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 23 | Mar 30 | Apr 4 |
| 20°F | Jan 31 | Feb 8 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 21 |
| 16°F98% of yrs | Jan 2 | Jan 14 | Jan 24 | Jan 30 | Feb 4 | Feb 8 | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Mar 3 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 29 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 |
| 32°F | Oct 8 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 |
| 28°F | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 |
| 24°F | Oct 29 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 |
| 20°F | Nov 9 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 |
| 16°F98% of yrs | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 17 | Dec 24 | Jan 5 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Placitas 4W, NM, 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 87043 →Compare Placitas with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Sandia Park, NM, 8 miles southeast of Placitas and 1,445 feet higher, has a last frost 23 days later (May 9), a first frost 14 days earlier (October 9), a season 35 days shorter.
When it snows in Placitas, New Mexico
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Placitas usually arrives around December 9, and the last of the season around March 20. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Placitas 4W, NM, 2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 86% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 27 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 87043
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 5 – February 19 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 19 – March 5 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 19 – April 2 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 16 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 31 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 9 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 23 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 87043 is 2 miles from Placitas 4W, NM, which stands at 5,585 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 87004 (Bernalillo). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 87043 in zone 7b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across New Mexico →
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.