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 87124
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 87124 in zone 7b (the coldest night of a typical year: 5 to 10°F).
The nearest station, Rio Rancho, NM, is 9 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 8 in half of years and after April 28 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Rancho, NMRio Rancho #2 | 9 mi | 5,290 ft | April 8 | April 28 | November 1 | – |
| Rio Rancho #1, NM | 10 mi | 5,230 ft | April 16 | May 2 | October 23 | – |
| Petroglyph National Mon, NM | 10 mi | 5,121 ft | April 15 | April 30 | October 27 | – |
| Corrales, NM | 11 mi | 5,026 ft | April 25 | May 10 | October 17 | 7a |
| Rio Grande Nature Center, NM | 12 mi | 4,944 ft | April 23 | May 6 | October 20 | – |
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 Rio Rancho
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 26 | April 12 | October 22 | October 10 |
| 32°F | April 28 | April 15 | April 8 | March 24 | November 1 | October 20 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 5 | March 27 | March 20 | March 5 | November 9 | October 29 |
| 24°F | March 23 | March 12 | March 6 | February 16 | November 19 | November 6 |
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.