Fort Sumner, NM 88119 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Fort Sumner, NM?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/17, about 232 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/28, about 192 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fort Sumner in Zone 7a (0 to 5°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
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Fort Sumner before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/17 isn't a guarantee
04/17 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Fort Sumner compares
About 192 days separate Fort Sumner's last and first frost, putting it 20,486 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NM, it ranks 138 of 427.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Fort Sumner's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Fort Sumner's dates instead of trusting one.