Parker, SD 57053 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Parker, SD?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/01, roughly 246 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/06, about 157 frost-free days later.
Parker sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Parker before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/01 isn't a guarantee
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/18 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 Parker compares
At roughly 157 frost-free days, Parker places 33,368 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within SD, it ranks 76 of 378.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Parker can differ from the 57053 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Parker's frost date answer different questions.