USDA Hardiness Zone 5a
Frost Dates for 48739 — Hale, Michigan
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Hale 5SSW #2, MI (816 ft), 5 miles south.
Updated
In Hale, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 23 in half of years and has passed by June 7 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around September 26, as early as September 14 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 127 days (NOAA, Hale 5SSW #2, MI).
- Last spring frost
- May 23
- First fall frost
- September 26
- Growing season
- 127 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 23
- Last snow
- April 5
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
29 of 29 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Hale
Half of springs at Hale 5SSW #2, MI see their last 32°F night by May 23; only one in ten is past it by May 5, and one in ten still has one after June 7. Planting tender crops after May 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 2 20%, and after June 7 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 55% of the 172 Michigan stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 26 in half of years, as early as September 14 one year in ten, and holds off past October 8 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 26, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 127 days in a typical year, shorter than at 88% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 147 days one year in ten and falls short of 107 one year in ten. On average 183 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 12 days longer, to about June 4, and return around September 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 18 and April 3.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 21 | May 26 | May 30 | Jun 2 | Jun 4 | Jun 7 | Jun 11 | Jun 16 | Jun 22 |
| 32°F | May 5 | May 11 | May 16 | May 19 | May 23 | May 26 | May 29 | Jun 2 | Jun 7 |
| 28°F | Apr 22 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 7 | May 12 | May 16 | May 20 | May 26 |
| 24°F | Apr 9 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 6 | May 14 |
| 20°F | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 28 |
| 16°F | Mar 20 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 17 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 1 | Sep 7 | Sep 11 | Sep 14 | Sep 16 | Sep 19 | Sep 22 | Sep 25 | Sep 30 |
| 32°F | Sep 14 | Sep 18 | Sep 21 | Sep 24 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 |
| 28°F | Sep 24 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 22 |
| 24°F | Oct 5 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 5 |
| 20°F | Oct 21 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 |
| 16°F | Nov 3 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 2 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Hale 5SSW #2, MI, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 48739 →Compare Hale with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Lupton 1S, MI, 10 miles west of Hale, has a last frost 2 days earlier (May 21), a first frost 3 days later (September 29), a season 2 days longer.
When it snows in Hale, Michigan
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Hale usually arrives around November 23, and the last of the season around April 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lupton 1S, MI, 9.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 48 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 48739
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 14 – March 28 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 28 – April 11 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 25 – May 9 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 23 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 4 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 12 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 26 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 48739 is 5 miles from Hale 5SSW #2, MI, which stands at 816 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 48756 (Prescott). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 48739 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.