U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00391873 · South Dakota

Frost Dates for Columbia, SD

NOAA weather station Columbia 8 N (USC00391873), South Dakota · elevation 1305 ft (398 m) · hardiness zone 4a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 22only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostSeptember 2950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season145 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone4acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Columbia, SDSpring: a frost after April 26 in 9 years out of 10, after May 7 in half of the years, after May 22 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 18 in 1 year out of 10, before September 29 in half of the years, before October 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 145 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 7First frost ~Sep 29Frost season at Columbia, SDSpring: a frost after April 26 in 9 years out of 10, after May 7 in half of the years, after May 22 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 18 in 1 year out of 10, before September 29 in half of the years, before October 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 145 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 7First frost ~Sep 29
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 22September 18
50% (typical)May 7September 29
90% (likely)April 26October 12
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
145 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 28
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 7

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 7 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 3 (4 days later). Frost-free season 148 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Columbia: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 22, 20% May 16, 30% May 12, 40% May 9, 50% May 7, 60% May 4, 70% May 2, 80% April 30, 90% April 26. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 12, 2022 April 28, 2023 May 2, 2024 April 24, 2025 April 30, 2026 May 10.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 22May 7Apr 262021: May 122022: April 282023: May 22024: April 242025: April 302026: May 10Fall at Columbia: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 18, 20% September 22, 30% September 24, 40% September 27, 50% September 29, 60% October 1, 70% October 3, 80% October 7, 90% October 12. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 16, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 14, 2025 October 14.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Sep 18Sep 29Oct 122021: October 162023: October 72024: October 142025: October 14
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021May 12October 16
2022April 28incomplete record
2023May 2October 7
2024April 24October 14
2025April 30October 14
2026May 10season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 22 is the cautious spring date for tender crops in Columbia, providing a gardener with only a 10 % chance of a later light frost, so planting after that date reduces the risk of frost damage.

The 50 % dates—May 7 for spring and September 29 for fall—represent the median point where a light frost has a 50 % chance of occurring. The cautious fall date is September 18, when there is a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived, allowing a gardener to finish harvesting tender crops with minimal frost threat. In contrast, the hard-frost 50 % dates are April 28 in spring and October 7 in fall; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage or kill plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F, so it is a more critical threshold.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 22" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before September 18" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Columbia, SDNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Aberdeen, SD — 19 mi; 2 — Britton, SD — 27 mi; 3 — Fullerton, ND — 30 mi; 4 — Forman, ND — 40 mi; 5 — Ipswich, SD — 40 mi.SD25 mi · 40 km1. Aberdeen, SD — 19 mi12. Britton, SD — 27 mi23. Fullerton, ND — 30 mi34. Forman, ND — 40 mi45. Ipswich, SD — 40 mi5
  1. Aberdeen, SD 19 mi (31 km)
  2. Britton, SD 27 mi (44 km)
  3. Fullerton, ND 30 mi (49 km)
  4. Forman, ND 40 mi (65 km)
  5. Ipswich, SD 40 mi (65 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 4a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 45.7231, -98.3031.