Frost Dates for 49721 — Cheboygan, Michigan

Half of springs at Cheboygan, MI see their last 32°F night by May 11; only one in ten is past it by April 29, and one in ten still has one after May 25. Planting tender crops after May 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 21 20%, and after May 25 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 80% of the 172 Michigan stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 11 in half of years, as early as September 24 one year in ten, and holds off past October 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 22; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 15, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 152 days in a typical year, shorter than at 62% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 173 days one year in ten and falls short of 131 one year in ten. On average 163 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 13 days longer, to about May 24, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 27 and April 2.

July is the warmest month at Cheboygan, MI, averaging 77°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 27°F and 11°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 83% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,935 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 85% of the 172 Michigan stations. 26% of them (496) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 544. Precipitation totals 32.1 inches a year, most in October (4.1") and least in February (1.3"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Pellston Regional Airport, MI, 16 miles west of Cheboygan, has a last frost 20 days later (May 31), a first frost 23 days earlier (September 18), a season 44 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Cheboygan usually arrives around November 12, and the last of the season around April 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Cheboygan, MI, 4.4 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.

ZIP 49721 is 4 miles from Cheboygan, MI, which stands at 588 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 49721 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.