Frost Dates for 49770 — Petoskey, Michigan

Half of springs at Petoskey Ncmc, MI see their last 32°F night by May 16; only one in ten is past it by April 30, and one in ten still has one after May 31. Planting tender crops after May 23 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 26 20%, and after May 31 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 9 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around October 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 18, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 147 days in a typical year, shorter than at 69% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 168 days one year in ten and falls short of 126 one year in ten. On average 166 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 12 days longer, to about May 28, and return around September 28. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and April 1.

July is the warmest month at Petoskey Ncmc, MI, averaging 76°F by day and 57°F at night; January is the coldest at 26°F and 12°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 86% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,941 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 84% of the 172 Michigan stations. 29% of them (562) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 518. Precipitation totals 36.7 inches a year, most in October (4.4") and least in February (1.7"); May to September bring 45% of it.

The nearest other station, Petoskey, MI, 2 miles northwest of Petoskey, has a last frost 10 days earlier (May 6), a first frost 11 days later (October 20), a season 19 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Petoskey usually arrives around November 13, and the last of the season around April 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Petoskey, MI, 2.1 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 34 days after the last snow.

ZIP 49770 is under a mile from Petoskey Ncmc, MI, which stands at 748 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 49770 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.