Frost Dates for 87311 — Crownpoint, New Mexico

Half of springs at Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM see their last 32°F night by May 11; only one in ten is past it by April 30, and one in ten still has one after May 26. Planting tender crops after May 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 20 20%, and after May 26 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 46% of the 70 New Mexico stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 7 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 20 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 17; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 14, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 148 days in a typical year, shorter than at 67% of the 70 New Mexico stations; it reaches 165 days one year in ten and falls short of 130 one year in ten. On average 166 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 14 days longer, to about May 25, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 17 and March 13.

July is the warmest month at Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM, averaging 87°F by day and 57°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 16°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 87% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,601 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 71% of the 70 New Mexico stations. 31% of them (814) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 685. Precipitation totals 12.7 inches a year, most in August (2.4") and least in June (0.3"); May to September bring 52% of it.

The nearest other station, Gallup Municipal Airport, NM, 17 miles west of Crownpoint, has a last frost 20 days later (May 31), a first frost 9 days earlier (September 28), a season 29 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Crownpoint usually arrives around November 28, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM, 11.5 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 31 days after the last snow.

ZIP 87311 is 12 miles from Gallup Sand & Gravel, NM, which stands at 6,577 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 87311 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.