Yelm, WA 98507 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Yelm, WA?
Around 04/29 is the usual last spring frost, about 244 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/14, about 169 frost-free days later.
Zone 8b (15 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 Yelm, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Yelm 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
04/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/15 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Yelm compares
About 169 days separate Yelm's last and first frost, putting it 29,369 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within WA, it ranks 517 of 700.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Yelm can differ from the 98507 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Yelm's frost date answer different questions.