Mesa, AZ 85208 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Mesa, AZ?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/01, about 157 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/10, about 312 frost-free days later.
Mesa sits in USDA Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 15 weeks of growing season left in Mesa before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 02/01 isn't a guarantee
02/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 02/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Mesa compares
Mesa's growing season runs about 312 days, ranking 3,454 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within AZ, it ranks 226 of 506.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Mesa can differ from the 85208 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Mesa's frost date answer different questions.