Frost Dates for 56381 — Starbuck, Minnesota

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.

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.

The nearest other station, Morris W Cntrl Rsch & Outreach, MN, 16 miles west of Starbuck, has a last frost 7 days earlier (May 4), a first frost 4 days later (October 1), a season 11 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Starbuck 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, 7.8 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.

ZIP 56381 is 8 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; its figures are presented in full for 56334 (Glenwood). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56381 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.