Frost Dates for 56544 — Frazee, Minnesota

Half of springs at Detroit Lakes 12E, MN see their last 32°F night by May 4; only one in ten is past it by April 24, and one in ten still has one after May 16. Planting tender crops after May 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 12 20%, and after May 16 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 85% 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 22 one year in ten, and holds off past October 17 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 15; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 8, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 150 days in a typical year, shorter than at 51% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 168 days one year in ten and falls short of 134 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 11 days longer, to about May 15, and return around September 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 10 and April 3.

July is the warmest month at Detroit Lakes 12E, MN, averaging 77°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 17°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 67% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,949 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 84% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 31% of them (611) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 555.

The nearest other station, Detroit Lakes 1 NNE, MN, 12 miles northwest of Frazee and 187 feet lower, has a last frost 11 days later (May 15), a first frost 9 days earlier (September 24), a season 20 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Frazee usually arrives around October 28, and the last of the season around April 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Detroit Lakes 1 NNE, MN, 11.8 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 18 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56544 is 8 miles from Detroit Lakes 12E, MN, which stands at 1,542 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56544 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.