Frost Dates for 56232 — Dawson, Minnesota

Half of springs at Madison Wwtp, MN see their last 32°F night by May 3; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 11 20%, and after May 15 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 85% 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 15 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 5, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 151 days in a typical year, shorter than at 48% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 168 days one year in ten and falls short of 134 one year in ten. On average 168 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 12, and return around September 24. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 8 and March 31.

July is the warmest month at Madison Wwtp, MN, averaging 83°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 22°F and 3°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 61% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,570 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 68% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 34% of them (869) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 679. Precipitation totals 25.6 inches a year, most in June (3.8") and least in January (0.5"); May to September bring 65% of it.

The nearest other station, Milan 1NW, MN, 14 miles northeast of Dawson, has the same 50% last-frost date, the same first-frost date.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Dawson usually arrives around November 17, and the last of the season around March 26. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Dawson, MN, 0.2 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 38 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56232 is 8 miles from Madison Wwtp, MN, which stands at 1,075 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 56232 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.