Mission, SD 57555 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Mission, SD?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/09, about 254 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/01, about 146 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mission 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
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Mission before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/09 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/28 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Mission compares
About 146 days separate Mission's last and first frost, putting it 36,067 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within SD, it ranks 216 of 378.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Mission can differ from the 57555 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Mission's frost date answer different questions.