Taos Ski Valley, NM 87580 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Taos Ski Valley, NM, ZIP 87580
Around 05/19 is the usual last spring frost, about 264 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/03, about 136 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Taos Ski Valley in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Taos Ski Valley has about 5 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 05/19 isn't a guarantee
05/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/07 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 Taos Ski Valley compares
About 136 days separate Taos Ski Valley's last and first frost, putting it 37,815 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NM, it ranks 349 of 427.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Taos Ski Valley's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Taos Ski Valley can differ from the 87580 normal.