FrostDateCheck

Motley, MN 56466 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Motley, MN, ZIP 56466

Zone 4a

Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/02, roughly 247 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/06, about 156 frost-free days later.

Zone 4a (-30 to -25°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Motley, not a forecast for this year.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 4a around Motley has about 6 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.

How much risk comes with planting early here

05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Motley compares

Motley's growing season runs about 156 days, ranking 33,762 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within MN, it ranks 326 of 943.

Learn more

the frost range explains how to read the range around Motley's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Motley can differ from the 56466 normal.