FrostDateCheck

Bayfield, WI 54814 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Bayfield, WI?

Zone 5a

Around 05/20 is the usual last spring frost, about 265 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/08, about 141 frost-free days later.

Bayfield 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 6 weeks of growing season left in Bayfield before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

How much risk comes with planting early here

05/20 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Bayfield compares

Bayfield's growing season runs about 141 days, ranking 36,956 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within WI, it ranks 713 of 860.

Learn more

local microclimates covers what one yard in Bayfield can differ from the 54814 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Bayfield's frost date answer different questions.