USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 49319 — Cedar Springs, Michigan
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Kent City 2 SW, MI (840 ft), 11 miles west.
Updated
In Cedar Springs, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 14 in half of years and has passed by May 31 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around September 29, as early as September 14 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 135 days (NOAA, Kent City 2 SW, MI).
- Last spring frost
- May 14
- First fall frost
- September 29
- Growing season
- 135 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 22
- Last snow
- March 28
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 48"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
20 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Cedar Springs
Half of springs at Kent City 2 SW, MI see their last 32°F night by May 14; only one in ten is past it by April 29, and one in ten still has one after May 31. Planting tender crops after May 22 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 26 20%, and after May 31 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 September 29 in half of years, as early as September 14 one year in ten, and holds off past October 12 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 19, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 135 days in a typical year, shorter than at 78% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 157 days one year in ten and falls short of 113 one year in ten. On average 167 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 15 days longer, to about May 29, and return around September 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 23 and April 1.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 9 | May 17 | May 22 | May 25 | May 29 | May 31 | Jun 3 | Jun 7 | Jun 13 |
| 32°F | Apr 29 | May 3 | May 6 | May 10 | May 14 | May 18 | May 22 | May 26 | May 31 |
| 28°F | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 9 | May 14 | May 19 |
| 24°F | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 8 |
| 20°F | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 28 |
| 16°F | Mar 16 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Aug 30 | Sep 5 | Sep 10 | Sep 14 | Sep 18 | Sep 21 | Sep 24 | Sep 28 | Oct 2 |
| 32°F | Sep 14 | Sep 19 | Sep 23 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 2 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 12 |
| 28°F | Sep 24 | Sep 29 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 23 |
| 24°F | Oct 4 | Oct 10 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 7 |
| 20°F | Oct 21 | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 5 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 13 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Kent City 2 SW, 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 49319 →Compare Cedar Springs with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Greenville 2 NNE, MI, 15 miles east of Cedar Springs, has a last frost 4 days later (May 18), a first frost 1 day earlier (September 28), a season 2 days shorter.
When it snows in Cedar Springs, Michigan
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Cedar Springs usually arrives around November 22, and the last of the season around March 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Kent City 2 SW, MI, 11.4 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 47 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 49319
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 5 – March 19 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 19 – April 2 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 16 – April 30 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 14 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 7 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 15 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 29 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 49319 is 11 miles from Kent City 2 SW, MI, which stands at 840 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 8 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 49319 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.