Gallup, NM 86503 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gallup, NM?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/06, about 251 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/08, about 153 frost-free days later.
Gallup sits in USDA Zone 7a (0 to 5°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Gallup before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/06 isn't a guarantee
05/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/22 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gallup compares
At roughly 153 frost-free days, Gallup places 34,483 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NM, it ranks 262 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Gallup can differ from the 86503 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Gallup's frost date answer different questions.