Frost Dates for 55981 — Wabasha, Minnesota

Half of springs at Alma Dam 4, WI see their last 32°F night by April 28; only one in ten is past it by April 13, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 11 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the narrowest of the 142 Minnesota stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 14 in half of years, as early as September 29 one year in ten, and holds off past October 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 26; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 168 days in a typical year, longer than at 90% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 189 days one year in ten and falls short of 150 one year in ten. On average 138 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 7, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 20 and March 22.

July is the warmest month at Alma Dam 4, WI, averaging 81°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 24°F and 8°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 38% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,641 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 75% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 33% of them (875) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 671. Precipitation totals 37.2 inches a year, most in June (5.7") and least in January (1.0"); May to September bring 65% of it.

The nearest other station, Theilman 1SSW, MN, 10 miles southwest of Wabasha, has a last frost 9 days later (May 7), a first frost 12 days earlier (October 2), a season 20 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Wabasha usually arrives around November 16, and the last of the season around April 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Wabasha, MN, 0.8 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 24 days after the last snow.

ZIP 55981 is 7 miles from Alma Dam 4, WI, which stands at 670 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 55981 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.