Frost Dates for 55355 — Litchfield, Minnesota

Half of springs at Litchfield, MN see their last 32°F night by May 6; only one in ten is past it by April 23, and one in ten still has one after May 22. Planting tender crops after May 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 15 20%, and after May 22 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 77% of the 142 Minnesota stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 2 in half of years, as early as September 20 one year in ten, and holds off past October 15 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 11, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 147 days in a typical year, shorter than at 62% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 166 days one year in ten and falls short of 125 one year in ten. On average 168 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 9 days longer, to about May 15, and return around September 24. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 7 and April 1.

July is the warmest month at Litchfield, MN, averaging 81°F by day and 60°F at night; January is the coldest at 20°F and 0°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 68% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,343 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 58% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 32% of them (759) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 642. Precipitation totals 30.0 inches a year, most in June (4.6") and least in January (0.8"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Dassel 3SE, MN, 13 miles east of Litchfield, has a last frost 6 days earlier (April 30), a first frost 8 days later (October 10), a season 15 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Litchfield 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 Litchfield, MN, 1.6 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 24 days after the last snow.

ZIP 55355 is 2 miles from Litchfield, MN, which stands at 1,120 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 55355 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.