FrostDateCheck

Colstrip, MT 59083 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Colstrip, MT?

Zone 4b

The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/26, about 271 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/16, about 111 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 Colstrip, not a forecast for this year.

What to do before the first frost

About 3 weeks of growing season left in Colstrip before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

Why 05/26 isn't a guarantee

05/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Colstrip compares

At roughly 111 frost-free days, Colstrip places 39,460 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within MT, it ranks 270 of 392.

Learn more

the frost range covers how to read the range around Colstrip's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Colstrip can differ from the 59083 normal.