Mason, MI 48826 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Mason, MI, ZIP 48826
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/28, about 243 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/17, about 173 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Mason, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Mason has about 7 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/13 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/16 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Mason compares
About 173 days separate Mason's last and first frost, putting it 27,821 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MI, it ranks 212 of 1,153.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Mason can differ from the 48826 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Mason's frost date answer different questions.