Chama, NM 87533 Frost Dates
87533, near Chama, NM: the frost window
Around 06/13 is the usual last spring frost, about 289 days away. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 09/18, roughly 94 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chama in Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
Chama's growing season runs out in roughly 3 weeks — a cold frame or greenhouse kit is the usual way to keep cool-weather crops going past the first frost.
How much risk comes with planting early here
06/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 05/31 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 07/01 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Chama against the rest of the dataset
At roughly 94 frost-free days, Chama places 39,841 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NM, it ranks 411 of 427.
Learn more
Two guides worth reading on 87533: local microclimates, on what one yard in Chama can differ from the 87533 normal, and zone vs. frost date, on why Zone 7a and Chama's frost date answer different questions.