Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Sierra Vista, AZ?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/05, roughly 220 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/09, about 216 frost-free days later.
Sierra Vista sits in USDA Zone 8b (15 to 20°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 10 weeks of growing season left in Sierra Vista 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
04/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Sierra Vista compares
About 216 days separate Sierra Vista's last and first frost, putting it 13,719 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AZ, it ranks 368 of 506.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Sierra Vista's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Sierra Vista's dates instead of trusting one.