Frost Dates for 56087 — Springfield, Minnesota

Half of springs at Springfield 1 NW, MN see their last 32°F night by May 4; only one in ten is past it by April 20, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 8 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 12 20%, and after May 15 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 1 in half of years, as early as September 17 one year in ten, and holds off past October 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 6, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 150 days in a typical year, shorter than at 51% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 170 days one year in ten and falls short of 132 one year in ten. On average 169 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 8 days longer, to about May 12, and return around September 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 9 and March 28.

July is the warmest month at Springfield 1 NW, MN, averaging 82°F by day and 60°F at night; January is the coldest at 23°F and 4°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 63% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,566 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 66% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 34% of them (881) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 657. Precipitation totals 29.7 inches a year, most in June (4.6") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 65% of it.

The nearest other station, Redwood Falls, MN, 22 miles north of Springfield, has a last frost 4 days earlier (April 30), a first frost 9 days later (October 10), a season 12 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Springfield usually arrives around November 6, and the last of the season around April 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Springfield 1 NW, MN, 0.5 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 25 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56087 is under a mile from Springfield 1 NW, MN, which stands at 1,066 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56087 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.