U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00207820 · Michigan

Frost Dates for Standish, MI

NOAA weather station Standish 4 NE (USC00207820), Michigan · elevation 615 ft (188 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 23only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season156 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Standish, MISpring: a frost after April 21 in 9 years out of 10, after May 5 in half of the years, after May 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 26 in 1 year out of 10, before October 10 in half of the years, before October 27 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 156 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 5First frost ~Oct 10Frost season at Standish, MISpring: a frost after April 21 in 9 years out of 10, after May 5 in half of the years, after May 23 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 26 in 1 year out of 10, before October 10 in half of the years, before October 27 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 156 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 5First frost ~Oct 10
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 23September 26
50% (typical)May 5October 10
90% (likely)April 21October 27
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
156 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 24
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 25

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 4 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 15 (5 days later). Frost-free season 162 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Standish: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 23, 20% May 17, 30% May 13, 40% May 8, 50% May 5, 60% May 2, 70% April 29, 80% April 26, 90% April 21. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 13, 2022 May 8, 2023 May 26, 2024 April 26, 2025 May 1, 2026 May 12.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 23May 5Apr 212021: May 132022: May 82023: May 262024: April 262025: May 12026: May 12Fall at Standish: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 26, 20% October 1, 30% October 4, 40% October 6, 50% October 10, 60% October 14, 70% October 16, 80% October 21, 90% October 27. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 24, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 23, 2024 October 10, 2025 October 9.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 26Oct 10Oct 272021: October 242022: October 82023: October 232024: October 102025: October 9
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021May 13October 24
2022May 8October 8
2023May 26October 23
2024April 26October 10
2025May 1October 9
2026May 12season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 156 days between the 50% dates in Standish, Michigan, span the period when light frosts are equally likely to have occurred or not. This interval defines the core growing window for tender crops.

The light-frost 50% date in spring is May 5; the chance of a frost later than that date is 50 %. In fall the light-frost 50% date is October 10; the chance of a frost earlier than that date is 50 %. The hard-frost 50% dates are April 24 in spring and October 25 in fall, marking the point of even odds for a 28 °F frost.

For a cautious plan, tender crops should be set out after the May 23 spring date, which carries only a 10 % chance of a later frost, and should be finished by September 26 in fall, which also carries only a 10 % chance of an earlier frost. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F, so those dates are especially relevant for vulnerable crops.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 23" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before September 26" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Standish, MINumbered nearest stations: 1 — West Branch, MI — 22 mi; 2 — East Tawas, MI — 27 mi; 3 — Gladwin, MI — 30 mi; 4 — Midland, MI — 32 mi; 5 — Hale Loud Dam, MI — 32 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. West Branch, MI — 22 mi12. East Tawas, MI — 27 mi23. Gladwin, MI — 30 mi34. Midland, MI — 32 mi45. Hale Loud Dam, MI — 32 mi5
  1. West Branch, MI 22 mi (36 km)
  2. East Tawas, MI 27 mi (44 km)
  3. Gladwin, MI 30 mi (48 km)
  4. Midland, MI 32 mi (51 km)
  5. Hale Loud Dam, MI 32 mi (52 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 44.0125, -83.8978.