Clifton, AZ 85540 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Clifton, AZ?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 02/26, roughly 182 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/23, about 268 frost-free days later.
Zone 8b (15 to 20°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Clifton, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 12 weeks of growing season left in Clifton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 02/26 isn't a guarantee
02/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/06 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 03/15 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Clifton compares
About 268 days separate Clifton's last and first frost, putting it 5,768 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AZ, it ranks 309 of 506.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Clifton's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Clifton can differ from the 85540 normal.