Skip to content

USDA Hardiness Zone 4b

Frost Dates for 56334 — Glenwood, Minnesota

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Glenwood 2WNW, MN (1,198 ft), 5 miles northwest.

Updated

In Glenwood, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 11 in half of years and has passed by May 27 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around September 27, as early as September 13 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 139 days (NOAA, Glenwood 2WNW, MN).

Last spring frost
May 11

50% probability

First fall frost
September 27

50% probability

Growing season
139 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
4b

-25 to -20°F (-31.7 to -28.9°C) coldest night

First snow
November 10

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
April 11

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

27 of 27 observed

Snow per year
46.3"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Glenwood

Half of springs at Glenwood 2WNW, MN see their last 32°F night by May 11; only one in ten is past it by April 28, and one in ten still has one after May 27. Planting tender crops after May 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 22 20%, and after May 27 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 77% of the 142 Minnesota stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 27 in half of years, as early as September 13 one year in ten, and holds off past October 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 16, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 139 days in a typical year, shorter than at 80% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 157 days one year in ten and falls short of 117 one year in ten. On average 175 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 12 days longer, to about May 23, and return around September 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 6 and April 5.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMay 7May 11May 16May 19May 23May 26May 28Jun 1Jun 7
32°FApr 28May 1May 4May 8May 11May 14May 18May 22May 27
28°FApr 16Apr 21Apr 26Apr 29May 1May 3May 7May 10May 16
24°FApr 6Apr 12Apr 15Apr 19Apr 22Apr 25Apr 28May 1May 6
20°FApr 1Apr 4Apr 7Apr 10Apr 13Apr 16Apr 19Apr 23Apr 27
16°FMar 22Mar 29Apr 1Apr 3Apr 5Apr 8Apr 11Apr 15Apr 20
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 3Sep 9Sep 12Sep 16Sep 19Sep 21Sep 24Sep 26Sep 30
32°FSep 13Sep 19Sep 22Sep 25Sep 27Sep 30Oct 2Oct 5Oct 9
28°FSep 23Sep 27Oct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 15Oct 20
24°FOct 1Oct 5Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 20Oct 22Oct 26Oct 31
20°FOct 11Oct 18Oct 22Oct 25Oct 28Oct 31Nov 2Nov 6Nov 10
16°FOct 23Oct 28Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 8Nov 11Nov 15Nov 20

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Glenwood 2WNW, MN, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.

Frost risk on any date in 56334 →Compare Glenwood with another place →

Weather by month in Glenwood

July is the warmest month at Glenwood 2WNW, MN, averaging 83°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 23°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 81% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,387 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 53% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 33% of them (791) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 632. Precipitation totals 26.4 inches a year, most in June (4.3") and least in January (0.5"); May to September bring 68% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Glenwood 2WNW, MN
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan2320.5100%310
Feb2750.5100%270
Mar40191.1100%275
Apr57312.1100%1650
May70443.081%3247
Jun79544.34%0488
Jul83584.10%0632
Aug81563.70%0567
Sep74472.961%2322
Oct59342.5100%1272
Nov41211.0100%264
Dec2880.7100%310

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Glenwood 2WNW, MN (1,198 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Alexandria Municipal Airport, MN, 18 miles north of Glenwood and 218 feet higher, has a last frost 9 days earlier (May 2), a first frost 11 days later (October 8), a season 20 days longer.

Frost dates for 56308 (Alexandria) →

When it snows in Glenwood, Minnesota

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Glenwood usually arrives around November 10, and the last of the season around April 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Glenwood 2WNW, MN, 5.4 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 30 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 56334

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Glenwood, Minnesota
WhenWhat to do
March 2 – March 16Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
March 16 – March 30Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
April 13 – April 27Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
May 11 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 5Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by September 13Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
September 27 onwardPlant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter.

The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.

Where these figures come from

ZIP 56334 is 5 miles from Glenwood 2WNW, MN, which stands at 1,198 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 56334 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.

Frost dates across Minnesota →

Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 4b places in Minnesota