USDA Hardiness Zone 4a
Frost Dates for 56520 — Breckenridge, Minnesota
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Breckenridge 3E, MN (971 ft), 3 miles northeast.
Updated
In Breckenridge, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 4 in half of years and has passed by May 17 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 3, as early as September 21 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 152 days (NOAA, Breckenridge 3E, MN).
- Last spring frost
- May 4
- First fall frost
- October 3
- Growing season
- 152 days
- Hardiness zone
- 4a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-30 to -25°F (-34.4 to -31.7°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 10
- Last snow
- April 2
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 49.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
26 of 26 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Breckenridge
Half of springs at Breckenridge 3E, 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 17. Planting tender crops after May 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 13 20%, and after May 17 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 61% 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 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 8, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 152 days in a typical year, longer than at 53% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 171 days one year in ten and falls short of 133 one year in ten. On average 178 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 9 days longer, to about May 13, and return around September 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 10 and April 1.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 1 | May 5 | May 8 | May 10 | May 13 | May 15 | May 18 | May 22 | May 25 |
| 32°F | Apr 21 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 4 | May 6 | May 10 | May 13 | May 17 |
| 28°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 8 |
| 24°F | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 17 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 30 |
| 20°F | Mar 24 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 22 |
| 16°F | Mar 16 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 14 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 12 | Sep 17 | Sep 20 | Sep 22 | Sep 25 | Sep 27 | Sep 29 | Oct 2 | Oct 6 |
| 32°F | Sep 21 | Sep 25 | Sep 28 | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 18 |
| 28°F | Sep 30 | Oct 4 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 25 | Oct 29 |
| 24°F | Oct 8 | Oct 14 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 8 |
| 20°F | Oct 19 | Oct 24 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 |
| 16°F | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Breckenridge 3E, 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 56520 →Compare Breckenridge with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Rothsay, MN, 19 miles northeast of Breckenridge and 233 feet higher, has a last frost 1 day later (May 5), the same first-frost date, a season 3 days shorter.
When it snows in Breckenridge, Minnesota
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Breckenridge 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, 19 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 32 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 56520
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 23 – March 9 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 9 – March 23 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 6 – April 20 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 4 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 11 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 19 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 3 onward | Plant 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 56520 is 3 miles from Breckenridge 3E, MN, which stands at 971 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 58075 (Wahpeton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56520 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.
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.