Skip to content
Frost Date Finder

USDA Hardiness Zone 7b

Frost Dates for 87107 — Albuquerque, New Mexico

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM (4,944 ft), 2 miles west.

Updated

In Albuquerque, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 23 in half of years and has passed by May 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 20, as early as October 8 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 179 days (NOAA, Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM).

Last spring frost
April 23

50% probability

First fall frost
October 20

50% probability

Growing season
179 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
7b

5 to 10°F (-15.0 to -12.2°C) coldest night

First snow
November 29

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
February 25

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

15 of 15 observed

Snow per year
12.1"

NOAA normal

ShareXFacebookWhatsAppEmail

Frost risk by date in Albuquerque

Half of springs at Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM see their last 32°F night by April 23; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 80% of the 70 New Mexico stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 20 in half of years, as early as October 8 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 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 21, 15 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 179 days in a typical year, longer than at 56% of the 70 New Mexico stations; it reaches 199 days one year in ten and falls short of 161 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 12 days longer, to about May 5, and return around October 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 2 and February 12.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FApr 23Apr 27Apr 30May 2May 5May 7May 10May 14May 18
32°FApr 7Apr 12Apr 16Apr 19Apr 23Apr 25Apr 29May 2May 6
28°FMar 19Mar 25Mar 31Apr 3Apr 5Apr 8Apr 12Apr 16Apr 21
24°FMar 1Mar 6Mar 8Mar 11Mar 15Mar 19Mar 23Mar 30Apr 4
20°FFeb 11Feb 17Feb 22Feb 27Mar 2Mar 4Mar 7Mar 10Mar 17
16°FJan 18Jan 30Feb 3Feb 8Feb 12Feb 17Feb 21Feb 27Mar 4
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 28Oct 2Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 22
32°FOct 8Oct 13Oct 15Oct 18Oct 20Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Nov 1
28°FOct 17Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 8Nov 13
24°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 18Nov 22
20°FNov 5Nov 10Nov 15Nov 17Nov 20Nov 22Nov 25Nov 28Dec 2
16°FNov 18Nov 23Nov 26Nov 29Dec 2Dec 5Dec 9Dec 13Dec 20

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Rio Grande Nature Ctr, 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 87107 →Compare Albuquerque with another place →

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Petroglyph Natl Mon, NM, 4 miles west of Albuquerque and 177 feet higher, has a last frost 8 days earlier (April 15), a first frost 7 days later (October 27), a season 14 days longer.

Frost dates for 87120 (Albuquerque) →

When it snows in Albuquerque, New Mexico

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Albuquerque usually arrives around November 29, and the last of the season around February 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Albuquerque 4.6 E, NM, 5.5 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 57 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 87107

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Albuquerque, New Mexico
WhenWhat to do
February 12 – February 26Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 26 – March 12Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 26 – April 9Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 23 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 28Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 6Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 20 onwardPlant 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 87107 is 2 miles from Rio Grande Nature Ctr, NM, which stands at 4,944 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 87107 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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 7b places in New Mexico