Frost dates in Albuquerque, New Mexico

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 Albuquerque is April 6, and the average first fall frost is November 3, from NOAA's Albuquerque Intl Airport station, 5 miles from the middle of Albuquerque. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 23, and the first one by October 21. That leaves about 211 frost-free days. Albuquerque is in USDA planting zone 7b.

Weather stations around Albuquerque

The first row is the date most people in Albuquerque go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.

Station	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Frost-free
Albuquerque Intl Airport 5 mi away, 5,310 ft	April 6 1 in 10 after April 23	November 3 1 in 10 by October 21	211 days
Rio Grande Nature Ctr 3 mi away, 4,944 ft	April 23 1 in 10 after May 6	October 20 1 in 10 by October 8	180 days
Petroglyph Natl Mon 4 mi away, 5,121 ft	April 15 1 in 10 after April 30	October 27 1 in 10 by October 16	195 days
Albuquerque Valley 6 mi away, 4,955 ft	April 18 1 in 10 after May 3	October 24 1 in 10 by October 13	189 days
Albuquerque Foothills Ne 9 mi away, 5,994 ft	April 21 1 in 10 after May 4	October 23 1 in 10 by October 12	185 days

Distances are from the middle of Albuquerque 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 87101, at the middle of the city.

Your exact ZIP code

Albuquerque 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 New Mexico, station by station.

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