Frost Dates for 88435 — Santa Rosa, New Mexico

Half of springs at Santa Rosa, NM see their last 32°F night by April 20; only one in ten is past it by April 3, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 6 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 23 in half of years, as early as October 10 one year in ten, and holds off past November 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 24, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 183 days in a typical year, longer than at 59% of the 70 New Mexico stations; it reaches 203 days one year in ten and falls short of 163 one year in ten. On average 115 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 2, and return around October 12. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 28 and February 20.

July is the warmest month at Santa Rosa, NM, averaging 93°F by day and 62°F at night; December is the coldest at 55°F and 25°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 21% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,179 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 66% of the 70 New Mexico stations. 38% of them (1,606) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 845. Precipitation totals 15.3 inches a year, most in July (2.4") and least in February (0.5"); May to September bring 62% of it.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Santa Rosa usually arrives around December 4, and the last of the season around March 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Santa Rosa, NM, 8.3 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 39 days after the last snow.

ZIP 88435 is 8 miles from Santa Rosa, NM, which stands at 4,650 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 88435 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.