Frost Dates for 56081 — Saint James, Minnesota

Half of springs at St James Wwtp, MN see their last 32°F night by April 30; only one in ten is past it by April 15, and one in ten still has one after May 13. Planting tender crops after May 4 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 8 20%, and after May 13 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 7 in half of years, as early as September 25 one year in ten, and holds off past October 20 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 17; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 3, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 160 days in a typical year, longer than at 77% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 178 days one year in ten and falls short of 142 one year in ten. On average 160 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 9, and return around September 29. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 12 and March 26.

July is the warmest month at St James Wwtp, MN, averaging 83°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 24°F and 5°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 46% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,735 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 86% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 34% of them (934) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 693. Precipitation totals 33.1 inches a year, most in June (4.9") and least in February (0.8"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, New Ulm 2 SE, MN, 23 miles north of Saint James and 180 feet lower, has a last frost 1 day earlier (April 29), the same first-frost date, a season 1 day longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Saint James usually arrives around November 11, and the last of the season around April 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at St James Wwtp, MN, 1.1 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 23 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56081 is 1 mile from St James Wwtp, MN, which stands at 1,070 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56081 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.