USDA Hardiness Zone 8a
Frost Dates for 98244 — Deming, Washington
Averages from Clearbrook, Wa US, the nearest reporting station, 12.7 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 18, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 18. That leaves about 185 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 18
- First fall frost
- October 18
- Growing season
- 185 days
- Hardiness zone
- 8a
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
10 to 15°F annual low
- First snow
- December 19
- Last snow
- February 28
- Winters with snow
- 95%
- Snow per year
- 10.8"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
19 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in Deming, Washington
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Deming, Washington usually arrives around December 19, and the last of the season around February 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Clearbrook, Wa US: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters.
For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.
Planting calendar for 98244
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 7 – February 21 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 21 – March 7 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 21 – April 4 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 18 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 26 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 4 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 18 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after April 18 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Deming, Washington are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 18, which leaves roughly 185 frost-free days.
ZIP 98244 sits in USDA hardiness zone 8a, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between 10 to 15°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.