Frost Dates for 56175 — Tracy, Minnesota

Half of springs at Tracy, MN see their last 32°F night by May 2; only one in ten is past it by April 18, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 6 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 10 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 22 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 15; 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 174 days one year in ten and falls short of 138 one year in ten. On average 159 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 11 and March 29.

July is the warmest month at Tracy, MN, averaging 82°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 23°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 56% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,647 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 77% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 34% of them (894) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 679. Precipitation totals 29.1 inches a year, most in June (4.5") and least in January (0.6"); May to September bring 66% of it.

The nearest other station, Marshall, MN, 17 miles northwest of Tracy and 254 feet lower, has a last frost 3 days later (May 5), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 3), a season 6 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Tracy usually arrives around November 6, and the last of the season around April 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Tracy, MN, 1.5 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 56175 is 2 miles from Tracy, MN, which stands at 1,403 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56175 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.