Frost Dates for 56510 — Ada, Minnesota

Half of springs at Ada, MN see their last 32°F night by May 11; only one in ten is past it by April 30, and one in ten still has one after May 25. Planting tender crops after May 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 20 20%, and after May 25 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 September 27 in half of years, as early as September 14 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 18, 7 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 137 days in a typical year, shorter than at 83% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 155 days one year in ten and falls short of 118 one year in ten. On average 180 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 11 days longer, to about May 22, and return around September 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 5 and April 4.

July is the warmest month at Ada, MN, averaging 81°F by day and 57°F at night; January is the coldest at 16°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 87% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,111 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 73% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 32% of them (684) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 581. Precipitation totals 25.1 inches a year, most in June (4.6") and least in February (0.7"); May to September bring 68% of it.

The nearest other station, Mahnomen, MN, 26 miles east of Ada and 305 feet higher, has a last frost 4 days earlier (May 7), a first frost 1 day later (September 28), a season 6 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ada usually arrives around November 5, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ada, MN, 1.6 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 31 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56510 is 2 miles from Ada, MN, which stands at 907 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56510 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.