Frost Dates for 49735 — Gaylord, Michigan

Half of springs at Gaylord Otsego Co Airport, MI see their last 32°F night by May 22; only one in ten is past it by May 2, and one in ten still has one after June 6. Planting tender crops after May 28 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 31 20%, and after June 6 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 September 30 in half of years, as early as September 10 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 13; 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 152 days one year in ten and falls short of 104 one year in ten. On average 171 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 June 4, and return around September 14. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 18 and April 5.

July is the warmest month at Gaylord Otsego Co Airport, MI, averaging 78°F by day and 55°F at night; January is the coldest at 25°F and 11°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From July to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 89% of years and June still brings one in 19% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,872 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 86% of the 172 Michigan stations. 31% of them (581) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 515. Precipitation totals 29.4 inches a year, most in September (3.6") and least in February (1.1"); May to September bring 53% of it.

The nearest other station, Gaylord, MI, 4 miles northwest of Gaylord, has a last frost 3 days later (May 25), a first frost 4 days earlier (September 26), a season 5 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Gaylord usually arrives around October 22, and the last of the season around April 19. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Gaylord, MI, 3.5 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 33 days after the last snow.

ZIP 49735 is 2 miles from Gaylord Otsego Co Airport, MI, which stands at 1,335 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 49735 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.