Frost Dates for 56554 — Lake Park, Minnesota

Half of springs at Detroit Lakes 1 NNE, MN see their last 32°F night by May 15; only one in ten is past it by May 2, and one in ten still has one after May 30. Planting tender crops after May 22 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 26 20%, and after May 30 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 September 24 in half of years, as early as September 9 one year in ten, and holds off past October 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 19, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 130 days in a typical year, shorter than at 92% of the 142 Minnesota stations; it reaches 150 days one year in ten and falls short of 111 one year in ten. On average 177 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 26, and return around September 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 3 and April 10.

July is the warmest month at Detroit Lakes 1 NNE, MN, averaging 79°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 17°F and -4°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,049 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 77% of the 142 Minnesota stations. 32% of them (661) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 569. Precipitation totals 29.6 inches a year, most in June (4.9") and least in February (0.7"); May to September bring 67% of it.

The nearest other station, Detroit Lakes 12E, MN, 24 miles east of Lake Park and 187 feet higher, has a last frost 11 days earlier (May 4), a first frost 9 days later (October 3), a season 20 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lake Park 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, 13 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 29 days after the last snow.

ZIP 56554 is 13 miles from Detroit Lakes 1 NNE, MN, which stands at 1,355 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 56501 (Detroit Lakes). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 56554 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.