Albuquerque, NM 87198 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Albuquerque, NM, ZIP 87198
Around 04/06 is the usual last spring frost, about 221 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/03, about 208 frost-free days later.
Albuquerque sits in USDA Zone 8a (10 to 15°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
Zone 8a around Albuquerque has about 10 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/23 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Albuquerque compares
Albuquerque's growing season runs about 208 days, ranking 15,501 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NM, it ranks 115 of 427.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Albuquerque's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Albuquerque can differ from the 87198 normal.