Gallup, NM 87326 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Gallup, NM, ZIP 87326
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/31, roughly 276 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/28, about 119 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 Gallup, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Gallup has about 4 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
05/31 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gallup compares
Gallup's growing season runs about 119 days, ranking 39,128 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NM, it ranks 385 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Gallup can differ from the 87326 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Gallup's frost date answer different questions.