Clifton, AZ 88051 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Clifton, AZ?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/06, about 251 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/18, about 164 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 Clifton, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Clifton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/06 isn't a guarantee
05/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/20 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Clifton compares
About 164 days separate Clifton's last and first frost, putting it 30,928 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AZ, it ranks 446 of 506.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7b and Clifton's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Clifton's dates instead of trusting one.