Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49785 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Sault Ste. Marie, MI?
Around 05/31 is the usual last spring frost, about 276 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/25, about 116 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Sault Ste. Marie in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 4 weeks of growing season left in Sault Ste. Marie before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Sault Ste. Marie's last frost
05/31 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/14 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Sault Ste. Marie compares
About 116 days separate Sault Ste. Marie's last and first frost, putting it 39,276 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MI, it ranks 1,119 of 1,153.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Sault Ste. Marie can differ from the 49785 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Sault Ste. Marie's frost date answer different questions.