Rio Communities, NM 87028 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Rio Communities, NM, ZIP 87028
Around 04/12 is the usual last spring frost, about 227 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/27, about 196 frost-free days later.
Zone 7b (5 to 10°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 Rio Communities, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 7b around Rio Communities has about 9 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 04/12 isn't a guarantee
04/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Rio Communities compares
Rio Communities's growing season runs about 196 days, ranking 18,962 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NM, it ranks 133 of 427.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Rio Communities's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Rio Communities can differ from the 87028 normal.