USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 49649 — Kingsley, Michigan
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Fife Lake 2WNW, MI (1,052 ft), 8 miles east.
Updated
In Kingsley, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 24 in half of years and has passed by June 6 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 130 days (NOAA, Fife Lake 2WNW, MI).
- Last spring frost
- May 24
- First fall frost
- October 1
- Growing season
- 130 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 12
- Last snow
- April 15
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 101"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
19 of 19 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Kingsley
Half of springs at Fife Lake 2WNW, MI see their last 32°F night by May 24; only one in ten is past it by May 7, and one in ten still has one after June 6. Planting tender crops after May 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 2 20%, and after June 6 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 95% 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 15 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around October 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 25, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 130 days in a typical year, shorter than at 85% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 151 days one year in ten and falls short of 109 one year in ten. On average 184 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 11 days longer, to about June 4, and return around September 20. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 22 and April 5.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 22 | May 27 | May 31 | Jun 2 | Jun 4 | Jun 7 | Jun 11 | Jun 17 | Jun 26 |
| 32°F | May 7 | May 14 | May 18 | May 22 | May 24 | May 27 | May 30 | Jun 2 | Jun 6 |
| 28°F | Apr 25 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 9 | May 13 | May 17 | May 21 | May 25 |
| 24°F | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 4 | May 8 | May 15 |
| 20°F | Apr 3 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 16 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 |
| 16°F | Mar 23 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 2 | Sep 9 | Sep 14 | Sep 17 | Sep 20 | Sep 22 | Sep 25 | Sep 28 | Oct 2 |
| 32°F | Sep 18 | Sep 23 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 15 |
| 28°F | Sep 29 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 | Oct 31 |
| 24°F | Oct 13 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 |
| 20°F | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Fife Lake 2WNW, 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 49649 →Compare Kingsley with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, S Boardman 2W, MI, 11 miles northeast of Kingsley, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 3 days later (October 4), a season 3 days longer.
When it snows in Kingsley, Michigan
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Kingsley usually arrives around November 12, and the last of the season around April 15. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Traverse City Munson, MI, 14.9 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 39 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 49649
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 15 – March 29 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 29 – April 12 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 26 – May 10 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 24 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 49649 is 8 miles from Fife Lake 2WNW, MI, which stands at 1,052 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 49649 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°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.