Traverse City, MI 49610 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Traverse City, MI?
Around 05/12 is the usual last spring frost, about 257 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 155 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Traverse City 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 Traverse City before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Traverse City's last frost
05/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/26 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/27 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Traverse City compares
Traverse City's growing season runs about 155 days, ranking 33,930 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MI, it ranks 773 of 1,153.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Traverse City's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Traverse City's dates instead of trusting one.