Merino, CO 80741 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Merino, CO, ZIP 80741
Around 05/10 is the usual last spring frost, about 255 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/06, about 147 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Merino in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Merino has about 6 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 05/10 isn't a guarantee
05/10 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Merino compares
About 147 days separate Merino's last and first frost, putting it 35,977 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within CO, it ranks 358 of 624.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Merino's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Merino can differ from the 80741 normal.