Your nature year
Yakima, Washingtonthrough the year
Also for Wenatchee, WA, Moses Lake, WA: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Yakima?
Frost usually lets go around Apr 8 and comes back around Oct 23, according to the nearest NOAA station, Yakima #2: roughly 198 days without it. At some 1,171 feet up, Yakima is on higher ground than most towns in the region. The USA-NPN spring index puts first leaf here around Mar 25 and first bloom around Apr 30. Spring takes about 5 weeks to go from leaf to bloom. We follow 8 places within 150 miles of Yakima; the nearest lies 53 miles to the east. For a day trip, Hanford Reach is 53 miles off; its wildflowers is Apr 1–May 15 (local timing). For fall foliage, the nearest is Mount Rainier (58 mi, Sep 1–30 (local timing)). Statewide, Washington's fall color is usually well under way by late October.
Updated Sep 28. 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)
Best this weekend nearby
- Washington Pass · 134 mi · Fall foliage
Usually Sep 21–Oct 10
Sat Oct 3: Mostly Sunny, 57°F · Sun Oct 4: Mostly Sunny, 58°F
No report yet
Places in their own usual window that weekend; reports are the latest official ones, forecasts from the National Weather Service.
Yakima's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 8 to ~Oct 23
- First leaf ~Mar 25
- First bloom ~Apr 30
- Fall color under way ~Oct 28 (WA)
- Today
Near Yakima 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 23 · last spring frost around Apr 8NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Yakima #2 (0.9 mi, 50% dates)~4 weeks
- Mount Rainier · 58 mi · Local timing: Sep 1–30Fall foliage · in its window now
- Cherry blossoms · Seattle · 110 miLocal timing: Mar 21–Apr 10~6 months
Yakima's nature year
- Cherry blossoms · SeattleMar–Apr
- Spring green-upMar
- Wildflowers · Hanford ReachApr–May
- Last spring frostApr
- Fall color (WA)Oct
- First fall frostOct
Nearby, season by season
Cherry blossoms
- Seattle · 110 miLocal timing: Mar 21–Apr 10~6 months
Fall foliage
- Mount Rainier · 58 miLocal timing: Sep 1–30
- Wind River · 85 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~4 weeks
- Mt. Hood · 106 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~3 weeks
Wildflowers
- Hanford Reach · 53 miLocal timing: Apr 1–May 15~6 months
- Mount Rainier · 58 miusually Jul 21–Aug 10~10 months
- Wind River · 85 miLocal timing: Jul 15–Aug 31~10 months
Snow in Yakima
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 27 (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 Yakima Airport (2 mi away): 20 inches of snow in an average year, about 6.5 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.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 8
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 23
About 198 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Mar 25
First bloom around Apr 30
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Yakima #2 (0.9 mi from Yakima), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Yakima?
On average around Oct 23, and the last spring frost around Apr 8: about 198 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Yakima #2, 0.9 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Yakima?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Mar 25 and first bloom around Apr 30, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see cherry blossoms near Yakima?
Seattle, 110 miles (local timing: Mar 21–Apr 10). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see fall foliage near Yakima?
Mount Rainier, 58 miles (local timing: Sep 1–30); Wind River, 85 miles (statewide: usually well under way by late October); Mt. Hood, 106 miles (statewide: usually well under way by late October). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Yakima?
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 27: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Yakima Airport. An average year brings 20 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) (Sep 28)