U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00294009 · New Mexico

Frost Dates for Hillsboro, NM

NOAA weather station Hillsboro (USC00294009), New Mexico · elevation 5267 ft (1605 m) · hardiness zone 7b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 7only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season183 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Hillsboro, NMSpring: a frost after April 5 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 13 in 1 year out of 10, before October 23 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 183 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 23Frost season at Hillsboro, NMSpring: a frost after April 5 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 13 in 1 year out of 10, before October 23 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 183 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 23
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.Today

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 7October 13
50% (typical)April 23October 23
90% (likely)April 5November 3
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
183 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 7
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 2

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 26 (3 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 24 (1 day later). Frost-free season 182 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Hillsboro: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 7, 20% May 2, 30% April 29, 40% April 26, 50% April 23, 60% April 20, 70% April 16, 80% April 11, 90% April 5. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 19, 2022 April 14, 2023 April 20, 2024 April 16, 2025 April 20, 2026 March 17.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 7Apr 23Apr 52021: April 192022: April 142023: April 202024: April 162025: April 202026: March 17Fall at Hillsboro: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 13, 20% October 16, 30% October 19, 40% October 21, 50% October 23, 60% October 25, 70% October 28, 80% November 1, 90% November 3. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 13, 2022 October 25, 2023 October 30, 2024 October 31, 2025 October 29.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 13Oct 23Nov 32021: October 132022: October 252023: October 302024: October 312025: October 29
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 19October 13
2022April 14October 25
2023April 20October 30
2024April 16October 31
2025April 20October 29
2026March 17season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 7, the cautious spring date with a ten percent chance of a later light frost, lets a gardener plan to set out tender crops with relatively low risk.

The median light-frost dates are April 23 in spring and October 23 in fall; at each of those dates there is a fifty-percent chance of a frost on either side, giving a neutral reference point. The median hard-frost dates are April 7 and November 2, indicating when a 28°F frost is equally likely to have occurred or not.

October 13, the cautious fall date with a ten percent chance that a light frost has already arrived, lets a gardener finish harvesting tender crops with relatively low risk. Hard frosts at 28°F can damage plants more severely than light frosts at 32°F, so the hard-frost median dates are especially useful for timing.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 7" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before October 13" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Hillsboro, NMNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Cliff, NM — 55 mi; 2 — Augustine, NM — 80 mi; 3 — Duncan, AZ — 91 mi; 4 — Animas, NM — 98 mi; 5 — Bingham, NM — 98 mi.AZ50 mi · 80 km1. Cliff, NM — 55 mi12. Augustine, NM — 80 mi23. Duncan, AZ — 91 mi34. Animas, NM — 98 mi45. Bingham, NM — 98 mi5
  1. Cliff, NM 55 mi (88 km)
  2. Augustine, NM 80 mi (129 km)
  3. Duncan, AZ 91 mi (147 km)
  4. Animas, NM 98 mi (157 km)
  5. Bingham, NM 98 mi (158 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 32.9203, -107.5656.