Avondale, AZ 85385 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Avondale, AZ?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 01/14, about 139 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 12/22, about 343 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Avondale 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 17 weeks of growing season left in Avondale before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
01/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 12/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Avondale compares
About 343 days separate Avondale's last and first frost, putting it 2,520 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AZ, it ranks 134 of 506.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Avondale can differ from the 85385 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 9b and Avondale's frost date answer different questions.