USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 49015 — Battle Creek, Michigan
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI (928 ft), 2 miles west.
Updated
In Battle Creek, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 30 in half of years and has passed by May 17 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 19, as early as October 3 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 170 days (NOAA, Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI).
- Last spring frost
- April 30
- First fall frost
- October 19
- Growing season
- 170 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 12
- Last snow
- April 9
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 64.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
28 of 28 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Battle Creek
Half of springs at Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI see their last 32°F night by April 30; only one in ten is past it by April 16, and one in ten still has one after May 17. Planting tender crops after May 6 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 11 20%, and after May 17 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 62% of the 172 Michigan stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 19 in half of years, as early as October 3 one year in ten, and holds off past November 2 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 6, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 170 days in a typical year, longer than at 76% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 191 days one year in ten and falls short of 149 one year in ten. On average 130 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 10 days longer, to about May 10, and return around October 6. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 4 and March 17.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 24 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 10 | May 13 | May 17 | May 20 | May 25 |
| 32°F | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 6 | May 11 | May 17 |
| 28°F | Apr 4 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 | May 6 |
| 24°F | Mar 22 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 21 |
| 20°F | Mar 13 | Mar 18 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 6 | Apr 11 |
| 16°F | Mar 2 | Mar 8 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 24 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 20 |
| 32°F | Oct 3 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Nov 2 |
| 28°F | Oct 17 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 14 |
| 24°F | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 |
| 16°F | Nov 17 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 | Dec 23 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, 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 49015 →Compare Battle Creek with another place →
Weather by month in Battle Creek
July is the warmest month at Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI, averaging 83°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 31°F and 17°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 46% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 2,899 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 92% of the 172 Michigan stations. 34% of them (987) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 697. Precipitation totals 31.6 inches a year, most in May (3.7") and least in February (1.2"); May to September bring 54% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 17 | 1.6 | 100% | 28 | 1 |
| Feb | 34 | 19 | 1.2 | 100% | 25 | 1 |
| Mar | 45 | 27 | 1.7 | 100% | 22 | 22 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 2.9 | 100% | 9 | 87 |
| May | 70 | 49 | 3.7 | 46% | 1 | 310 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 3.4 | 0% | 0 | 567 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.4 | 0% | 0 | 697 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 3.4 | 0% | 0 | 646 |
| Sep | 74 | 53 | 3.2 | 7% | 0 | 407 |
| Oct | 61 | 42 | 3.6 | 86% | 4 | 136 |
| Nov | 47 | 32 | 2.1 | 100% | 16 | 21 |
| Dec | 36 | 24 | 1.4 | 100% | 26 | 3 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI (928 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Battle Creek 5NW, MI, 5 miles northwest of Battle Creek, has a last frost 6 days later (May 6), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 12), a season 12 days shorter.
When it snows in Battle Creek, Michigan
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Battle Creek usually arrives around November 12, and the last of the season around April 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Battle Creek 5NW, MI, 5 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 21 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 49015
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 19 – March 5 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 5 – March 19 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 2 – April 16 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 30 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 27 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 5 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 19 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 49015 is 2 miles from Battle Creek Kellogg Airport, MI, which stands at 928 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 6 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 49015 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.
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.