Lake City, MI 49651 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Lake City, MI?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/22, about 267 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/26, about 125 frost-free days later.
Lake City sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 4 weeks of growing season left in Lake City before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Lake City's last frost
05/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lake City compares
Lake City's growing season runs about 125 days, ranking 38,780 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MI, it ranks 1,079 of 1,153.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Lake City can differ from the 49651 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Lake City's frost date answer different questions.