Frost Dates for 48650 — Pinconning, Michigan

Half of springs at Standish 4NE, MI see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 23. Planting tender crops after May 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 17 20%, and after May 23 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 81% of the 172 Michigan stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 10 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 15 days later, around October 25; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 12, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 156 days in a typical year, shorter than at 55% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 178 days one year in ten and falls short of 134 one year in ten. On average 164 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 13 days longer, to about May 18, and return around September 29. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 22.

July is the warmest month at Standish 4NE, MI, averaging 80°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 28°F and 14°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 63% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,253 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 62% of the 172 Michigan stations. 31% of them (699) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 595. Precipitation totals 30.6 inches a year, most in June (3.6") and least in February (1.4"); May to September bring 53% of it.

The nearest other station, Auburn 2NE, MI, 16 miles south of Pinconning, has a last frost 2 days earlier (May 3), a first frost 4 days later (October 14), a season 5 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Pinconning usually arrives around December 1, and the last of the season around April 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Standish 4NE, MI, 11.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 90% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 30 days after the last snow.

ZIP 48650 is 12 miles from Standish 4NE, MI, which stands at 615 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 48650 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.