USDA Hardiness Zone 5a
Frost Dates for 49601 — Cadillac, Michigan
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Cadillac 9&10 News, MI (1,363 ft), 3 miles southeast.
Updated
In Cadillac, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 15 in half of years and has passed by May 30 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 1, as early as September 18 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 139 days (NOAA, Cadillac 9&10 News, MI).
- Last spring frost
- May 15
- First fall frost
- October 1
- Growing season
- 139 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 1
- Last snow
- April 17
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 74"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Cadillac
Half of springs at Cadillac 9&10 News, MI see their last 32°F night by May 15; only one in ten is past it by April 30, and one in ten still has one after May 30. Planting tender crops after May 22 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 25 20%, and after May 30 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 October 1 in half of years, as early as September 18 one year in ten, and holds off past October 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 13; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 19, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 139 days in a typical year, shorter than at 74% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 159 days one year in ten and falls short of 116 one year in ten. On average 175 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 14 days longer, to about May 29, and return around September 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 22 and April 4.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 12 | May 19 | May 23 | May 26 | May 29 | Jun 1 | Jun 4 | Jun 8 | Jun 15 |
| 32°F | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 7 | May 11 | May 15 | May 18 | May 22 | May 25 | May 30 |
| 28°F | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 5 | May 9 | May 13 | May 19 |
| 24°F | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 24 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 6 |
| 20°F | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 |
| 16°F | Mar 22 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 4 | Sep 10 | Sep 15 | Sep 17 | Sep 20 | Sep 24 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 |
| 32°F | Sep 18 | Sep 22 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 16 |
| 28°F | Sep 28 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 28 |
| 24°F | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 11 |
| 20°F | Oct 26 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 |
| 16°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 10 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Cadillac 9&10 News, 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 49601 →Compare Cadillac with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Lake City Exp Farm, MI, 13 miles east of Cadillac, has a last frost 7 days later (May 22), a first frost 5 days earlier (September 26), a season 14 days shorter.
When it snows in Cadillac, Michigan
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Cadillac usually arrives around November 1, and the last of the season around April 17. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lake City Exp Farm, MI, 13.4 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 28 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 49601
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 6 – March 20 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 20 – April 3 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 17 – May 1 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 15 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 9 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 17 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 1 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 49601 is 3 miles from Cadillac 9&10 News, MI, which stands at 1,363 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 49601 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.