USDA Hardiness Zone 5a
Frost Dates for 57106 — Sioux Falls, South Dakota
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Sioux Falls WFO Airport, SD (1,430 ft), 6 miles northeast.
Updated
In Sioux Falls, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 26 in half of years and has passed by May 9 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 13, as early as September 28 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 169 days (NOAA, Sioux Falls WFO Airport, SD).
- Last spring frost
- April 26
- First fall frost
- October 13
- Growing season
- 169 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 6
- Last snow
- April 13
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 45.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Sioux Falls
Half of springs at Sioux Falls WFO Airport, SD see their last 32°F night by April 26; only one in ten is past it by April 10, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 43% of the 49 South Dakota stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 13 in half of years, as early as September 28 one year in ten, and holds off past October 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 169 days in a typical year, the longest of the 49 South Dakota stations; it reaches 190 days one year in ten and falls short of 149 one year in ten. On average 154 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 10 days longer, to about May 6, and return around October 2. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 17 and March 21.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 23 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 4 | May 6 | May 8 | May 11 | May 14 | May 19 |
| 32°F | Apr 10 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 5 | May 9 |
| 28°F | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 |
| 24°F | Mar 22 | Mar 28 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 21 |
| 20°F | Mar 13 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 14 |
| 16°F | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 5 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 20 | Sep 24 | Sep 27 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 16 |
| 32°F | Sep 28 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 11 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 28 |
| 28°F | Oct 11 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 |
| 24°F | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 |
| 20°F | Oct 29 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 |
| 16°F | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Sioux Falls WFO Airport, SD, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 57106 →Compare Sioux Falls with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Sioux Falls, SD, 6 miles northeast of Sioux Falls, has a last frost 5 days later (May 1), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 6), a season 12 days shorter.
When it snows in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sioux Falls usually arrives around November 6, and the last of the season around April 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Sioux Falls, SD, 6.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 13 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 57106
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 15 – March 1 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 1 – March 15 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 29 – April 12 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 26 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 21 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 29 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 13 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 57106 is 6 miles from Sioux Falls WFO Airport, SD, which stands at 1,430 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 57106 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Frost dates across South Dakota →
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.