Otter Lake, MI 48464 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Otter Lake, MI?
Around 05/04 is the usual last spring frost, about 249 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 161 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Otter Lake in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Otter Lake before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Otter Lake compares
Otter Lake's growing season runs about 161 days, ranking 32,155 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MI, it ranks 610 of 1,153.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Otter Lake's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Otter Lake can differ from the 48464 normal.