Hill City, SD 57745 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Hill City, SD?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/28, about 273 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/18, about 112 frost-free days later.
Zone 4b (-25 to -20°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Hill City, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 3 weeks of growing season left in Hill City 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
05/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/16 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Hill City compares
About 112 days separate Hill City's last and first frost, putting it 39,427 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within SD, it ranks 376 of 378.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4b and Hill City's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Hill City's dates instead of trusting one.