U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00299820 · New Mexico

Frost Dates for Wolf Canyon, NM

NOAA weather station Wolf Canyon (USC00299820), New Mexico · elevation 8220 ft (2506 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter July 6only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostJune 1950% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostSeptember 1350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season83 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Wolf Canyon, NMSpring: a frost after June 5 in 9 years out of 10, after June 19 in half of the years, after July 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before August 30 in 1 year out of 10, before September 13 in half of the years, before September 25 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 83 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Jun 19First frost ~Sep 13Frost season at Wolf Canyon, NMSpring: a frost after June 5 in 9 years out of 10, after June 19 in half of the years, after July 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before August 30 in 1 year out of 10, before September 13 in half of the years, before September 25 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 83 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Jun 19First frost ~Sep 13
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)July 6August 30
50% (typical)June 19September 13
90% (likely)June 5September 25
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
83 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
June 4
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
September 23

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost June 12 (7 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost September 17 (4 days later). Frost-free season 94 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 Wolf Canyon: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% July 6, 20% June 30, 30% June 25, 40% June 22, 50% June 19, 60% June 15, 70% June 12, 80% June 9, 90% June 5. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 June 1, 2022 June 2, 2023 June 25, 2024 June 3, 2025 July 25, 2026 May 31.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Jun 1Jul 1Aug 1Jul 6Jun 19Jun 52021: June 12022: June 22023: June 252024: June 32025: July 252026: May 31Fall at Wolf Canyon: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% August 30, 20% September 4, 30% September 7, 40% September 10, 50% September 13, 60% September 16, 70% September 18, 80% September 21, 90% September 25. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 September 17, 2022 September 24, 2023 September 16, 2024 September 22, 2025 September 15.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Sep 1Oct 1Aug 30Sep 13Sep 252021: September 172022: September 242023: September 162024: September 222025: September 15
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
2021June 1September 17
2022June 2September 24
2023June 25September 16
2024June 3September 22
2025July 25September 15
2026May 31season not over yet

What these dates mean

In Wolf Canyon, the cautious fall date to finish harvesting tender crops is August 30, when there is only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier.

The 50% light-frost dates—June 19 in spring and September 13 in fall—mark the median point at which a frost is equally likely to occur later or earlier, defining the midpoint of the frost-free window. For planting tender crops in spring the cautious date is July 6, which carries a 10% chance of a frost later than that day; planting on June 5 would be a gamble with a 90% chance of frost.

Hard frosts at 28 °F are more damaging than light frosts at 32 °F, and their 50% dates are June 4 and September 23.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after July 6" 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 August 30" 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 Wolf Canyon, NMNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Los Alamos, NM — 25 mi; 2 — Torreon Navajo Mission, NM — 26 mi; 3 — Santa Fe, NM — 49 mi; 4 — Albuquerque, NM — 63 mi; 5 — Albuquerque Valley, NM — 64 mi.NM25 mi · 40 km1. Los Alamos, NM — 25 mi12. Torreon Navajo Mission, NM — 26 mi23. Santa Fe, NM — 49 mi34. Albuquerque, NM — 63 mi45. Albuquerque Valley, NM — 64 mi5
  1. Los Alamos, NM 25 mi (39 km)
  2. Torreon Navajo Mission, NM 26 mi (42 km)
  3. Santa Fe, NM 49 mi (79 km)
  4. Albuquerque, NM 63 mi (101 km)
  5. Albuquerque Valley, NM 64 mi (103 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 35.9478, -106.7469.