Frost Dates for 49807 — Bark River, Michigan

Half of springs at Cornell 5SE, MI see their last 32°F night by May 19; only one in ten is past it by May 2, and one in ten still has one after June 3. Planting tender crops after May 25 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 30 20%, and after June 3 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 1 in half of years, as early as September 16 one year in ten, and holds off past October 16 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 22, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 133 days in a typical year, shorter than at 81% of the 172 Michigan stations; it reaches 155 days one year in ten and falls short of 111 one year in ten. On average 181 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 14 days longer, to about June 2, and return around September 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 20 and April 4.

July is the warmest month at Cornell 5SE, MI, averaging 82°F by day and 55°F at night; January is the coldest at 27°F and 8°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From July to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, June still brings one in 15% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,051 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 74% of the 172 Michigan stations. 28% of them (583) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 570. Precipitation totals 30.1 inches a year, most in September (3.6") and least in February (1.1"); May to September bring 55% of it.

The nearest other station, Escanaba, MI, 13 miles east of Bark River and 204 feet lower, has a last frost 6 days earlier (May 13), a first frost 6 days later (October 7), a season 14 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Bark River usually arrives around November 10, and the last of the season around April 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Cornell 5SE, MI, 9.8 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 37 days after the last snow.

ZIP 49807 is 10 miles from Cornell 5SE, MI, which stands at 794 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 49807 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.