Frost dates in Tacoma, Washington
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.
Short answer
The average last spring frost in Tacoma is March 11, and the average first fall frost is November 21, from NOAA's Tacoma Narrows Airport station, 6 miles from the middle of Tacoma. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 2, and the first one by November 3. That leaves about 255 frost-free days. Tacoma is in USDA planting zone 8b.
Weather stations around Tacoma
The first row is the date most people in Tacoma go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tacoma Narrows Airport 6 mi away, 292 ft | March 11 1 in 10 after April 2 | November 21 1 in 10 by November 3 | 255 days |
| Tacoma #1 2 mi away, 25 ft | March 8 1 in 10 after March 31 | November 14 1 in 10 by October 30 | 251 days |
| Mcmillin Rsvr 13 mi away, 579 ft | April 11 1 in 10 after April 29 | October 30 1 in 10 by October 13 | 202 days |
| Seattle Tacoma Intl Airport 15 mi away, 370 ft | March 2 1 in 10 after March 23 | November 23 1 in 10 by November 6 | 266 days |
| Kent 15 mi away, 30 ft | March 20 1 in 10 after April 8 | November 10 1 in 10 by October 26 | 235 days |
Distances are from the middle of Tacoma as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 98402, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Tacoma covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.
How these dates work
Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.
The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.
More frost dates
All of Washington, station by station.
Other Washington cities: Seattle · Spokane · Vancouver · Bellevue
Nearby: Portland, OR
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer