Elma, WA 98541 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Elma, WA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/01, roughly 246 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/14, about 169 frost-free days later.
Elma 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 7 weeks of growing season left in Elma before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/01 isn't a guarantee
05/01 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. 05/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elma compares
About 169 days separate Elma's last and first frost, putting it 29,433 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within WA, it ranks 524 of 700.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 8b and Elma's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Elma's dates instead of trusting one.