Frost dates in Colorado Springs, Colorado
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.
Short answer
The average last spring frost in Colorado Springs is May 3, and the average first fall frost is October 8, from NOAA's Colorado Springs Muni Airport station, 6 miles from the middle of Colorado Springs. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 15, and the first one by September 26. That leaves about 158 frost-free days. Colorado Springs is in USDA planting zone 6a.
Weather stations around Colorado Springs
The first row is the date most people in Colorado Springs go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Springs Muni Airport 6 mi away, 6,181 ft | May 3 1 in 10 after May 15 | October 8 1 in 10 by September 26 | 158 days |
| Cumbre Vista - Colorado Spgs 1 6 mi away, 6,942 ft | May 9 1 in 10 after May 20 | October 6 1 in 10 by September 27 | 150 days |
| Black Forest 6WNW 11 mi away, 6,957 ft | May 11 1 in 10 after May 25 | October 6 1 in 10 by September 25 | 148 days |
| Ruxton Park 12 mi away, 9,060 ft | June 3 1 in 10 after June 23 | September 17 1 in 10 by August 30 | 106 days |
| Monument 3S 14 mi away, 6,821 ft | May 17 1 in 10 after May 30 | October 1 1 in 10 by September 19 | 137 days |
Distances are from the middle of Colorado Springs as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 80909, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Colorado Springs covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.
How these dates work
Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.
The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.
More frost dates
All of Colorado, station by station.
Other Colorado cities: Denver · Aurora · Fort Collins · Lakewood · Thornton
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer