Billings, Montana: freeze dates & growing season

Three different things get called “Billings” here, so this page is explicit about all three: the metro label (Billings), the anchor geography (Census ZCTA 59101, a downtown ZIP-code area), and the climate record (the NOAA station below). Windows are calculated from the station — not from your street address.

Climate basis: NOAA station Billings Wtp, MT (USC00240802), 13 mi (21 km) from the ZCTA 59101 centroid, elevation 3097 ft, on the 1991–2020 climate normals.

Last spring freezeMay 101-in-10 after May 24

First fall freezeOctober 11-in-10 before Sep 19

Frost-free season≈ 142 daysmedian at 32°F

Hard freeze, 28°Apr 27 – Oct 12kills even hardy greens

USDA zone5a-20 to -15°F winter low — not frost timing

The year

indoors under lights
in the garden
frost-free season
1-in-10 years still freeze to May 24

The Billings year: hatched areas are the freeze-likely seasons in 1991–2020 normals.

What that means in practice

Tomatoes: plant May 17 – May 31
Peas: plant March 29 – April 12
Garlic: plant cloves October 8 – October 15

All 79 crops in Billings

These windows describe typical years (1991–2020 climate normals), not this year's forecast. Freezes happen outside them — especially in frost pockets, valleys, and urban edges. Watch the forecast before committing tender plants.

Check a specific ZIP instead

Metro climates vary — elevation, water, and urban heat shift freeze dates by days to weeks. Look up your exact ZIP:

Nearby reviewed metros

Cheyenne, WY · Salt Lake City, UT · Boise, ID · Denver, CO · Spokane, WA