NOAA station USC00028162 · Arizona
Frost Dates for Springerville, AZ
NOAA weather station Springerville (USC00028162), Arizona · elevation 6998 ft (2133 m) · hardiness zone 6a*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter June 20only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostJune 150% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostSeptember 2650% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season114 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone6acalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | June 20 | September 12 |
| 50% (typical) | June 1 | September 26 |
| 90% (likely) | May 17 | October 7 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 114 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- May 18
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- October 3
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost May 31 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost September 25 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 117 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
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | May 25 | October 1 |
| 2022 | May 25 | October 13 |
| 2023 | June 10 | October 3 |
| 2024 | June 1 | September 21 |
| 2025 | May 30 | October 7 |
| 2026 | July 2 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
September 12 is the cautious fall date in Springerville for finishing the harvest, because there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived before then.
The 50 % dates mark the median point of frost risk: June 1 in spring and September 26 in fall each carry an even chance of a 32 °F frost occurring later (spring) or earlier (fall). A cautious planting plan therefore uses June 20 as the latest recommended day to set out tender crops in spring and September 12 as the earliest recommended day to finish harvesting them in fall.
The hard-frost median dates, May 18 and October 3, indicate when a 28 °F frost becomes a 50 % possibility, and hard frost can damage plants more severely than a light frost.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after June 20" 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 September 12" 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
- Saint Johns, AZ 28 mi (45 km)
- McNary, AZ 33 mi (54 km)
- Show Low, AZ 43 mi (69 km)
- Petrified Forest National Park, AZ 58 mi (93 km)
- Zuni, NM 69 mi (112 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00028162
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USC00028162
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 6a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 34.1311, -109.275.