South Bend, WA 98561 Frost Dates
Frost dates for South Bend, WA, ZIP 98561
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/26, roughly 241 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/17, about 177 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 South Bend, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 8b around South Bend 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How South Bend compares
South Bend's growing season runs about 177 days, ranking 26,149 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within WA, it ranks 465 of 700.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in South Bend can differ from the 98561 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 8b and South Bend's frost date answer different questions.