Frankenmuth climate

Frankenmuth Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Vassar, 13.1 km from Frankenmuth, elevation 630 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Vassar. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around May 9 and the first fall freeze around October 7, a growing season of about 150 days.

Median at 36°F
last May 21, first September 27
Median at 32°F
last May 9, first October 7
Median at 28°F
last April 30, first October 21

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FJun 4May 31May 28May 25May 21May 19May 15May 11May 5
32°FMay 24May 19May 16May 12May 9May 7May 3Apr 30Apr 26
28°FMay 15May 10May 6May 2Apr 30Apr 27Apr 24Apr 20Apr 16
24°FMay 4Apr 27Apr 23Apr 20Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 8Apr 4
20°FApr 20Apr 15Apr 11Apr 8Apr 5Apr 3Apr 1Mar 29Mar 22
16°FApr 8Apr 3Apr 1Mar 30Mar 27Mar 23Mar 20Mar 16Mar 12

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 14Sep 19Sep 22Sep 24Sep 27Sep 29Oct 1Oct 5Oct 9
32°FSep 24Sep 29Oct 1Oct 4Oct 7Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 21
28°FOct 4Oct 10Oct 15Oct 18Oct 21Oct 24Oct 26Oct 30Nov 3
24°FOct 21Oct 26Oct 29Nov 1Nov 3Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 16
20°FNov 2Nov 5Nov 9Nov 12Nov 15Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29
16°FNov 10Nov 15Nov 19Nov 22Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 15

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F147140135131127124120115109
32°F169164158154150145141136130
28°F192185181177172168164158151
24°F217209205201198194190185176
20°F244237231226223218214209203
16°F268260255250245241237232225

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
7,234
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
451
Growing degree days, base 40°F
4,312
Growing degree days, base 45°F
3,274
Growing degree days, base 50°F
2,371
Growing degree days, base 55°F
1,592
Growing degree days, base 60°F
940

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,36500
February1,18201
March1,022012
April628149
May30422224
June6993475
July23161603
August33121553
September16648338
October4895103
November819013
December1,13501

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 13.1 km from Frankenmuth. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USC00208443 (Vassar). Public domain.