Frost Dates for 56283 — Redwood Falls, Minnesota

Half of springs at Redwood Falls, MN see their last 32°F night by April 30; only one in ten is past it by April 13, and one in ten still has one after May 14. Planting tender crops after May 5 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 8 20%, and after May 14 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 37% of the 142 Minnesota stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 10 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 20; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 3, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 162 days in a typical year, longer than at 81% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 182 days one year in ten and falls short of 143 one year in ten. On average 163 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 8, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and March 25.

July is the warmest month at Redwood Falls, MN, averaging 83°F by day and 61°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 45% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,654 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 78% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 33% of them (885) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 677. Precipitation totals 30.9 inches a year, most in June (5.0") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 65% of it.

The nearest other station, Olivia 3E, MN, 18 miles northeast of Redwood Falls, has a last frost 6 days later (May 6), a first frost 9 days earlier (October 1), a season 16 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Redwood Falls usually arrives around November 16, and the last of the season around March 26. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Redwood Falls, 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 35 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56283 is 2 miles from Redwood Falls, MN, which stands at 1,020 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56283 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.