FrostDateCheck

Stephen, MN 56757 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Stephen, MN, ZIP 56757

Zone 4a

The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/15, about 260 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/26, about 134 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 Stephen, not a forecast for this year.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 4a around Stephen has about 4 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.

Why 05/15 isn't a guarantee

05/15 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Stephen compares

About 134 days separate Stephen's last and first frost, putting it 38,008 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within MN, it ranks 815 of 943.

Learn more

the frost range explains how to read the range around Stephen's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Stephen can differ from the 56757 normal.