Columbus, MT 59067 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Columbus, MT?
Around 05/24 is the usual last spring frost, about 269 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/21, about 116 frost-free days later.
Columbus sits in USDA Zone 4b (-25 to -20°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 Columbus 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
05/24 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. 06/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Columbus compares
At roughly 116 frost-free days, Columbus places 39,284 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within MT, it ranks 242 of 392.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4b and Columbus's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Columbus's dates instead of trusting one.