Stephenson, MI 49848 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Stephenson, MI?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/22, roughly 267 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/27, about 126 frost-free days later.
Stephenson 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 Stephenson before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/22 isn't a guarantee
05/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Stephenson compares
At roughly 126 frost-free days, Stephenson places 38,698 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within MI, it ranks 1,068 of 1,153.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Stephenson's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Stephenson's dates instead of trusting one.