Hot Springs, SD 57782 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Hot Springs, SD?
Around 05/23 is the usual last spring frost, about 268 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/20, about 117 frost-free days later.
Hot Springs 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 3 weeks of growing season left in Hot Springs before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/23 isn't a guarantee
05/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Hot Springs compares
Hot Springs's growing season runs about 117 days, ranking 39,246 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within SD, it ranks 374 of 378.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Hot Springs's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Hot Springs can differ from the 57782 normal.