USDA Hardiness Zone 5a
Frost Dates for 49788 — Kincheloe, Michigan
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Rudyard 5SE, MI (667 ft), 6 miles southwest.
Updated
In Kincheloe, the last spring frost (32°F) is around June 1 in half of years and has passed by June 20 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around September 21, as early as September 6 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 110 days (NOAA, Rudyard 5SE, MI).
- Last spring frost
- June 1
- First fall frost
- September 21
- Growing season
- 110 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
- October 27
- Last snow
- April 18
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 94.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
17 of 17 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Kincheloe
Half of springs at Rudyard 5SE, MI see their last 32°F night by June 1; only one in ten is past it by May 18, and one in ten still has one after June 20. Planting tender crops after June 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after June 13 20%, and after June 20 10%. The 19 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 93% of the 172 Michigan stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 21 in half of years, as early as September 6 one year in ten, and holds off past October 5 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is June 2, 18 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 110 days in a typical year, shorter than at 97% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 130 days one year in ten and falls short of 84 one year in ten. On average 201 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 16 and April 11.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 32°F | May 18 | May 23 | May 27 | May 30 | Jun 1 | Jun 4 | Jun 7 | Jun 13 | Jun 20 |
| 28°F | May 2 | May 8 | May 11 | May 15 | May 19 | May 22 | May 25 | May 28 | Jun 2 |
| 24°F | Apr 20 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 7 | May 10 | May 14 | May 20 |
| 20°F | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 5 |
| 16°F | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 25 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | too rare for a date | ||||||||
| 32°F | Sep 6 | Sep 11 | Sep 16 | Sep 19 | Sep 21 | Sep 24 | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 5 |
| 28°F | Sep 19 | Sep 24 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 18 |
| 24°F | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 30 | Nov 4 |
| 20°F | Oct 17 | Oct 23 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 18 |
| 16°F | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Rudyard 5SE, 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 49788 →Compare Kincheloe with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Rudyard 4N, MI, 6 miles west of Kincheloe, has a last frost 8 days earlier (May 24), a first frost 10 days later (October 1), a season 17 days longer.
When it snows in Kincheloe, Michigan
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Kincheloe usually arrives around October 27, and the last of the season around April 18. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Rudyard 4N, MI, 6.1 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 44 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 49788
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 23 – April 6 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| April 6 – April 20 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| May 4 – May 18 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| June 1 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by June 29 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 7 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| September 21 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 49788 is 6 miles from Rudyard 5SE, MI, which stands at 667 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 49788 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.