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 87501
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 87501 in zone 6b (the coldest night of a typical year: -5 to 0°F).
The nearest station, Santa Fe Seton, NM, is 9 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after May 2 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 7a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe Seton, NM | 9 mi | 7,000 ft | May 2 | May 14 | October 17 | 7a |
| Santa Fe 2, NM | 9 mi | 6,756 ft | May 14 | May 28 | October 6 | 6b |
| Pecos, NMPecos National Monument | 14 mi | 6,878 ft | May 15 | May 31 | October 3 | 6b |
| Santa Fe, NMSanta Fe County Municipal Airport | 15 mi | 6,344 ft | May 4 | May 17 | October 15 | 7a |
| Española, NMEspanola | 23 mi | 5,620 ft | May 11 | May 26 | October 6 | – |
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 Santa Fe Seton
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 26 | May 17 | May 11 | April 29 | October 8 | September 26 |
| 32°F | May 14 | May 7 | May 2 | April 19 | October 17 | October 4 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 6 | April 29 | April 22 | April 6 | October 27 | October 12 |
| 24°F | April 26 | April 13 | April 6 | March 17 | November 5 | October 20 |
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.