Your nature year
Spokane, Washingtonthrough the year
Also for Spokane Valley, WA, Post Falls, ID: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Spokane?
Leaves usually come out around Apr 1 and the first flowers around May 7. Spring takes about 5 weeks to go from leaf to bloom.
Spokane usually sees its last spring frost around Apr 26 and its first fall frost around Oct 15, a frost-free stretch of about 172 days at the Spokane Felts Fld weather station (5.4 mi). Turnbull Refuge, 19 miles from Spokane, is the nearest wildflowers spot on this site, usually at its best mid-May. Kootenai Refuge (86 mi) is the pick for fall & winter wildlife, early November (local timing). Within 150 miles we follow 3 places, out to Hanford Reach 117 miles to the southwest. Statewide, Washington's fall color is usually well under way by late October.
Checked against 3 official sources · How we check →
Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Near Spokane right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by late October in WashingtonStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~4 weeks
- First fall frost usually around Oct 15 · last spring frost around Apr 26NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Spokane Felts Fld (5.4 mi, 50% dates)~12 days
- Fall & winter wildlife · next season nearby · 86 miLocal timing: early November~4 weeks
Places near Spokane
Fall duck migration in IdahoWildlife refuge
86 mi
Most numerous: Early NovemberU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Wildflowers in WashingtonNational Monument
117 mi
Usual peak: April and early MayU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Spokane's nature year
| Month | What to see | Where |
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Spokane's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 26 to ~Oct 15
- First leaf ~Apr 1
- First bloom ~May 7
- Fall color under way ~Oct 28 (WA)
- Today
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 26
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 15
About 172 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Apr 1
First bloom around May 7
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Spokane Felts Fld (5.4 mi from Spokane), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Snow in Spokane
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 10 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Spokane International Airport (5.4 mi away): 45 inches of snow in an average year, about 15 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Spokane?
On average around Oct 15, and the last spring frost around Apr 26: about 172 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Spokane Felts Fld, 5.4 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Spokane?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Apr 1 and first bloom around May 7, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see wildflowers near Spokane?
The nearest are Turnbull Refuge (19 miles) and Hanford Reach (117 miles). Turnbull Refuge: usually mid-May. Hanford Reach: usually: April and early May. Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see fall & winter wildlife near Spokane?
The nearest is Kootenai Refuge (86 miles). Kootenai Refuge: local timing: early November. Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Spokane?
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 10. That date is our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Spokane International Airport. An average year brings 45 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Oct 3)