Frost Dates for 55389 — Watkins, Minnesota

Half of springs at Kimball 3N, MN see their last 32°F night by May 2; only one in ten is past it by April 19, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 9 20%, and after May 15 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 61% of the 142 Minnesota stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 5 in half of years, as early as September 23 one year in ten, and holds off past October 21 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around October 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 5, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 156 days in a typical year, longer than at 67% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 176 days one year in ten and falls short of 136 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 11, and return around September 27. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 13 and March 30.

July is the warmest month at Kimball 3N, MN, averaging 79°F by day and 60°F at night; January is the coldest at 20°F and 3°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 57% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,254 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 63% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 32% of them (720) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 607.

The nearest other station, Litchfield, MN, 12 miles southwest of Watkins, has a last frost 4 days later (May 6), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 2), a season 9 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Watkins 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, 12.3 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 20 days after the last snow.

ZIP 55389 is 8 miles from Kimball 3N, MN, which stands at 1,160 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 55302 (Annandale). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 55389 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.