Pilot Station, AK 99650 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Pilot Station, AK?
Around 05/21 is the usual last spring frost, about 266 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/22, about 122 frost-free days later.
Zone 4a (-30 to -25°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 Pilot Station, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 4 weeks of growing season left in Pilot Station 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
05/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Pilot Station compares
About 122 days separate Pilot Station's last and first frost, putting it 38,962 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AK, it ranks 111 of 269.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Pilot Station can differ from the 99650 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4a and Pilot Station's frost date answer different questions.