Tempe, AZ 85257 Frost Dates
Tempe, AZ: when does the frost end?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 02/13, about 169 days from today. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 12/05, roughly 298 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Tempe in Zone 9b (25 to 30°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 14 weeks until Tempe's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 02/13 isn't a guarantee
02/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 01/12 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 03/09 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Tempe against the rest of the dataset
About 298 days separate Tempe's last and first frost, putting it 4,194 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AZ, it ranks 265 of 506.
Learn more
Before leaning on 85257's figures: zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 9b and Tempe's frost date answer different questions, while the frost range explains how to read the range around Tempe's dates instead of trusting one.