Frost Dates for 56514 — Barnesville, Minnesota

Half of springs at Rothsay, MN see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 24, and one in ten still has one after May 20. Planting tender crops after May 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 14 20%, and after May 20 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 64% of the 142 Minnesota stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 3 in half of years, as early as September 21 one year in ten, and holds off past October 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 10, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 149 days in a typical year, shorter than at 57% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 166 days one year in ten and falls short of 131 one year in ten. On average 171 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 15, and return around September 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 7 and April 4.

July is the warmest month at Rothsay, MN, averaging 80°F by day and 60°F at night; January is the coldest at 18°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 73% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,308 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 60% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 33% of them (756) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 620. Precipitation totals 24.8 inches a year, most in June (3.9") and least in February (0.6"); May to September bring 65% of it.

The nearest other station, Fargo 3S, ND, 21 miles northwest of Barnesville and 296 feet lower, has a last frost 1 day earlier (May 4), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 2), a season 2 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Barnesville usually arrives around November 10, and the last of the season around April 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Rothsay, MN, 13.7 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 33 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56514 is 14 miles from Rothsay, MN, which stands at 1,204 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 56572 (Pelican Rapids). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56514 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.