Marion, SD 57043 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Marion, SD, ZIP 57043
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/01, about 246 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/04, about 156 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Marion in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 5a around Marion has about 5 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
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Marion compares
At roughly 156 frost-free days, Marion places 33,746 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within SD, it ranks 82 of 378.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Marion can differ from the 57043 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Marion's frost date answer different questions.