Mason, MI 48916 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Mason, MI, ZIP 48916
Around 04/28 is the usual last spring frost, about 243 days away. 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.
Why 04/28 isn't a guarantee
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
Mason's growing season runs about 173 days, ranking 27,826 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MI, it ranks 217 of 1,153.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Mason's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Mason's dates instead of trusting one.