Columbia, SD 57427 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Columbia, SD, ZIP 57427
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/09, roughly 254 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/26, about 139 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Columbia in Zone 4a (-30 to -25°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 4a around Columbia has about 4 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.
The actual range around Columbia's last frost
05/09 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/27 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/22 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Columbia compares
Columbia's growing season runs about 139 days, ranking 37,288 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within SD, it ranks 322 of 378.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 4a and Columbia's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Columbia's dates instead of trusting one.