Frost Dates for 56484 — Walker, Minnesota

Half of springs at Walker, MN see their last 32°F night by May 4; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 20. Planting tender crops after May 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 14 20%, and after May 20 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 October 7 in half of years, as early as September 23 one year in ten, and holds off past October 21 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 8, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 155 days in a typical year, longer than at 64% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 173 days one year in ten and falls short of 136 one year in ten. On average 174 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 10 days longer, to about May 14, and return around September 28. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 12 and April 3.

July is the warmest month at Walker, MN, averaging 79°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 19°F and 1°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 65% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,129 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 72% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 32% of them (685) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 590. Precipitation totals 28.1 inches a year, most in June (4.3") and least in February (0.7"); May to September bring 65% of it.

The nearest other station, Deep Portage, MN, 15 miles southeast of Walker, has a last frost 1 day later (May 5), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 5), a season 5 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Walker usually arrives around November 13, and the last of the season around March 31. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Walker, MN, 1.9 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 34 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56484 is 2 miles from Walker, MN, which stands at 1,430 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56484 in zone 4a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -30 to -25°F (-34.4 to -31.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.