Ruidoso Downs, NM 88336 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Ruidoso Downs, NM, ZIP 88336
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/11, roughly 256 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 147 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ruidoso Downs in Zone 7b (5 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 7b around Ruidoso Downs 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 05/11 isn't a guarantee
05/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ruidoso Downs compares
About 147 days separate Ruidoso Downs's last and first frost, putting it 35,910 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NM, it ranks 303 of 427.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Ruidoso Downs's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Ruidoso Downs can differ from the 88336 normal.