Frost dates by ZIP code: The nearest NOAA stations to your ZIP, 1991-2020 normals
Enter a five-digit ZIP code. PlainClimate finds its center (Census Bureau 2024) and the five nearest NOAA stations with frost dates, and shows each station's last spring and first autumn 32°F dates with its distance and elevation.
Frost dates near ZIP 87120
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 87120 in zone 7b (the coldest night of a typical year: 5 to 10°F).
The nearest station, Petroglyph National Mon, NM, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 15 in half of years and after April 30 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petroglyph National Mon, NM | 3 mi | 5,121 ft | April 15 | April 30 | October 27 | – |
| Rio Grande Nature Center, NM | 4 mi | 4,944 ft | April 23 | May 6 | October 20 | – |
| South Valley, NMAlbuquerque Valley | 9 mi | 4,955 ft | April 18 | May 3 | October 24 | 7b |
| Rio Rancho, NMRio Rancho #2 | 11 mi | 5,290 ft | April 8 | April 28 | November 1 | – |
| Albuquerque, NMAlbuquerque International Airport | 11 mi | 5,310 ft | April 6 | April 23 | November 3 | 8a |
Frost comes later in spring at higher and colder stations and earlier in low, open ground: prefer a station at a similar elevation to yours. Hardiness zone in the table: the USDA's rule (the average of each year's coldest night, 1991-2020) applied to the station's own record.
Every frost threshold at Petroglyph National Mon
NOAA publishes the dates for several temperatures and odds. A 30% spring date means a 3-in-10 chance of a later frost (the convention almanacs use); 50% is the median; 10% the cautious date.
| Threshold | Spring, 10% | Spring, 30% | Spring, 50% | Spring, 90% | Autumn, 50% | Autumn, 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F (light frost) | May 8 | May 1 | April 27 | April 14 | October 19 | October 7 |
| 32°F | April 30 | April 21 | April 15 | March 31 | October 27 | October 16 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 16 | April 6 | March 31 | March 10 | November 4 | October 23 |
| 24°F | March 29 | March 18 | March 10 | February 21 | November 15 | November 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals; ZIP centers: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. Autumn 10%: one year in ten has its first frost before this date.