Des Moines, NM 88418 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Des Moines, NM, ZIP 88418
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/05, roughly 250 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/09, about 156 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Des Moines in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 6b around Des Moines has about 6 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/23 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 Des Moines compares
Des Moines's growing season runs about 156 days, ranking 33,878 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NM, it ranks 251 of 427.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Des Moines can differ from the 88418 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6b and Des Moines's frost date answer different questions.