Frost Dates for 55056 — North Branch, Minnesota

Half of springs at Wild Rvr Sp, MN 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 26 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 29 20%, and after June 3 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 64% of the 142 Minnesota stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 25 in half of years, as early as September 10 one year in ten, and holds off past October 8 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 4; 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 128 days in a typical year, shorter than at 96% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 149 days one year in ten and falls short of 107 one year in ten. On average 183 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 1, and return around September 16. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 5 and April 7.

July is the warmest month at Wild Rvr Sp, MN, averaging 82°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 22°F and 0°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 2,244 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 63% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 32% of them (716) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 615. Precipitation totals 32.4 inches a year, most in June (4.2") and least in January (0.8"); May to September bring 61% of it.

The nearest other station, Cambridge, MN, 13 miles west of North Branch, has a last frost 17 days earlier (May 2), a first frost 9 days later (October 4), a season 25 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in North Branch usually arrives around November 14, and the last of the season around April 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Wild Rvr Sp, MN, 11.1 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 41 days after the last snow.

ZIP 55056 is 11 miles from Wild Rvr Sp, MN, which stands at 840 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 55056 in zone 4b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -25 to -20°F (-31.7 to -28.9°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.