Frost Dates for 56164 — Pipestone, Minnesota

Half of springs at Pipestone, MN see their last 32°F night by May 4; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 19. Planting tender crops after May 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 13 20%, and after May 19 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 64% 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 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 8, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 152 days in a typical year, longer than at 53% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 170 days one year in ten and falls short of 133 one year in ten. On average 173 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 10 days longer, to about May 14, and return around September 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 8 and March 31.

July is the warmest month at Pipestone, MN, averaging 82°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 22°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 64% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,611 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 70% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 33% of them (870) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 676. Precipitation totals 28.9 inches a year, most in June (4.5") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Flandreau, SD, 13 miles west of Pipestone, has a last frost 1 day later (May 5), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 1), a season 4 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Pipestone usually arrives around November 8, and the last of the season around April 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Pipestone, 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 26 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56164 is under a mile from Pipestone, MN, which stands at 1,705 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56164 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.