Tempe, AZ 85283 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Tempe, AZ?
Around 02/13 is the usual last spring frost, about 169 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/05, about 298 frost-free days later.
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.
What to do before the first frost
About 14 weeks of growing season left in Tempe before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 02/13 isn't a guarantee
02/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 01/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Tempe compares
About 298 days separate Tempe's last and first frost, putting it 4,198 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AZ, it ranks 269 of 506.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Tempe can differ from the 85283 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Tempe's frost date answer different questions.