Frost Dates for 87313 — Crownpoint, New Mexico

Half of springs at Chaco Canyon Natl Mon, NM see their last 32°F night by May 28; only one in ten is past it by May 11, and one in ten still has one after June 14. Planting tender crops after June 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 8 20%, and after June 14 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 66% of the 70 New Mexico stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 27 in half of years, as early as September 13 one year in ten, and holds off past October 8 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 6 days later, around October 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is June 2, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 120 days in a typical year, shorter than at 93% of the 70 New Mexico stations; it reaches 140 days one year in ten and falls short of 98 one year in ten. On average 184 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 10 days longer, to about June 7, and return around September 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 1 and April 6.

July is the warmest month at Chaco Canyon Natl Mon, NM, averaging 90°F by day and 55°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 13°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 39% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,545 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 74% of the 70 New Mexico stations. 31% of them (787) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 697. Precipitation totals 8.9 inches a year, most in July (1.4") and least in June (0.4"); May to September bring 54% of it.

The nearest other station, Thoreau 12 SE, NM, 32 miles south of Crownpoint and 1,251 feet higher, has a last frost 1 day later (May 29), a first frost 1 day earlier (September 26), a season 2 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Crownpoint usually arrives around November 26, and the last of the season around March 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Chaco Canyon Natl Mon, NM, 21.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 96% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 82 days after the last snow.

ZIP 87313 is 21 miles from Chaco Canyon Natl Mon, NM, which stands at 6,174 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 87313 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.