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 88355
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 88355 in zone 7a (the coldest night of a typical year: 0 to 5°F).
The nearest station, Ruidoso, NM, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after May 11 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 6b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruidoso, NM | 1 mi | 6,930 ft | May 11 | May 22 | October 5 | 6b |
| Capitan, NM | 12 mi | 6,480 ft | May 3 | May 17 | October 12 | – |
| Carrizozo, NM1 mi SW | 23 mi | 5,405 ft | April 27 | May 8 | October 20 | – |
| Cloudcroft, NM | 28 mi | 8,679 ft | May 18 | June 1 | October 1 | 6b |
| Tularosa, NM | 29 mi | 4,422 ft | April 5 | April 22 | November 4 | 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 Ruidoso
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) | June 5 | May 30 | May 23 | May 11 | September 26 | September 12 |
| 32°F | May 22 | May 16 | May 11 | April 30 | October 5 | September 24 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 11 | May 5 | April 30 | April 15 | October 17 | October 3 |
| 24°F | May 2 | April 23 | April 16 | April 1 | October 29 | October 13 |
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.