Tumwater, WA 98556 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Tumwater, WA, ZIP 98556
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/29, roughly 244 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/14, about 169 frost-free days later.
Tumwater sits in USDA Zone 8a (10 to 15°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
Zone 8a around Tumwater has about 7 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 04/29 isn't a guarantee
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 Tumwater compares
Tumwater's growing season runs about 169 days, ranking 29,334 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within WA, it ranks 515 of 700.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Tumwater's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Tumwater can differ from the 98556 normal.