Frost Dates for 56265 — Montevideo, Minnesota

Half of springs at Montevideo 1SW, MN see their last 32°F night by May 4; only one in ten is past it by April 22, and one in ten still has one after May 17. Planting tender crops after May 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 13 20%, and after May 17 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 1 in half of years, as early as September 18 one year in ten, and holds off past October 15 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 6, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 149 days in a typical year, shorter than at 57% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 166 days one year in ten and falls short of 130 one year in ten. On average 172 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 23. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 7 and April 2.

July is the warmest month at Montevideo 1SW, MN, averaging 82°F by day and 60°F at night; January is the coldest at 22°F and 2°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 68% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,475 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 54% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 33% of them (828) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 651. Precipitation totals 29.7 inches a year, most in June (4.4") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Granite Falls, MN, 14 miles southeast of Montevideo, has the same 50% last-frost date, the same first-frost date, a season 1 day longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Montevideo usually arrives around November 16, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Montevideo 1SW, MN, 4 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 96% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 24 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56265 is 4 miles from Montevideo 1SW, MN, which stands at 990 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56265 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.