USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 83612 — Council, Idaho
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Council, ID (2,943 ft), 8 miles southeast.
Updated
In Council, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 10 in half of years and has passed by June 1 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 2, as early as September 16 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 145 days (NOAA, Council, ID).
- Last spring frost
- May 10
- First fall frost
- October 2
- Growing season
- 145 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 14
- Last snow
- April 2
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
20 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Council
Half of springs at Council, ID see their last 32°F night by May 10; only one in ten is past it by April 25, and one in ten still has one after June 1. Planting tender crops after May 16 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 23 20%, and after June 1 10%. The 22 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 84% of the 67 Idaho stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 2 in half of years, as early as September 16 one year in ten, and holds off past October 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around October 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 8, 24 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 145 days in a typical year, shorter than at 57% of the 67 Idaho stations; it reaches 166 days one year in ten and falls short of 116 one year in ten. On average 159 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 22 days longer, to about June 1, and return around September 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 21 and March 2.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 11 | May 17 | May 22 | May 27 | Jun 1 | Jun 5 | Jun 9 | Jun 14 | Jun 21 |
| 32°F | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 6 | May 10 | May 13 | May 16 | May 23 | Jun 1 |
| 28°F | Apr 4 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 8 |
| 24°F | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 17 | Apr 26 |
| 20°F | Feb 25 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 | Apr 3 |
| 16°F | Feb 13 | Feb 20 | Feb 25 | Feb 28 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 18 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 4 | Sep 10 | Sep 13 | Sep 16 | Sep 19 | Sep 22 | Sep 25 | Sep 29 | Oct 3 |
| 32°F | Sep 16 | Sep 24 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 13 | Oct 18 |
| 28°F | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 30 |
| 24°F | Oct 12 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 8 | Nov 13 |
| 20°F | Oct 23 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 2 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 7 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Council, ID, 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 83612 →Compare Council with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Mccall Airport, ID, 22 miles east of Council and 2,070 feet higher, has a last frost 31 days later (June 10), a first frost 22 days earlier (September 10), a season 52 days shorter.
When it snows in Council, Idaho
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Council usually arrives around November 14, and the last of the season around April 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at New Meadows Rs, ID, 16 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 38 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 83612
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 1 – March 15 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 15 – March 29 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 12 – April 26 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 10 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 10 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 18 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 2 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 83612 is 8 miles from Council, ID, which stands at 2,943 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 83612 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
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.