Steilacoom, WA 98388 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Steilacoom, WA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 03/11, roughly 195 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/21, about 254 frost-free days later.
Steilacoom sits in USDA Zone 8b (15 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 12 weeks of growing season left in Steilacoom 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
03/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 02/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Steilacoom compares
At roughly 254 frost-free days, Steilacoom places 7,027 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within WA, it ranks 71 of 700.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Steilacoom can differ from the 98388 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Steilacoom's frost date answer different questions.