U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00014840 · Michigan

Frost Dates near Norton Shores, MI

NOAA weather station Muskegon County Airport (USW00014840), Michigan · elevation 625 ft (191 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Norton Shores is the nearest town to the station (1.4 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 18only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season170 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Norton Shores, MISpring: a frost after April 17 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 2 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 170 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 19Frost season near Norton Shores, MISpring: a frost after April 17 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 2 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 170 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 19
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.Today

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 18October 2
50% (typical)April 30October 19
90% (likely)April 17November 3
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
170 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 19
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 2

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 1 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 22 (3 days later). Frost-free season 174 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring near Norton Shores: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 18, 20% May 12, 30% May 7, 40% May 3, 50% April 30, 60% April 28, 70% April 24, 80% April 21, 90% April 17. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 13, 2022 April 28, 2023 April 27, 2024 April 25, 2025 May 9, 2026 May 12.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 18Apr 30Apr 172021: May 132022: April 282023: April 272024: April 252025: May 92026: May 12Fall near Norton Shores: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 2, 20% October 8, 30% October 12, 40% October 15, 50% October 19, 60% October 22, 70% October 26, 80% October 30, 90% November 3. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 27, 2022 October 19, 2023 October 31, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 24.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 2Oct 19Nov 32021: October 272022: October 192023: October 312024: October 172025: October 24
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021May 13October 27
2022April 28October 19
2023April 27October 31
2024April 25October 17
2025May 9October 24
2026May 12season not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in the Norton Shores area is October 2, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived.

The 50% date in spring is April 30, marking the point at which a light frost is equally likely to occur later; the 50% date in fall is October 19, when a light frost is equally likely to have occurred earlier. The median hard-frost dates are April 19 and November 2; a hard frost can damage plants more severely than a light frost. The 30-year record shows that the span between the two 32°F 50% dates is 170 days.

For tender crops, the cautious spring date is May 18, which carries only a 10 % chance of a later light frost, while the cautious fall date is October 2, the same low-risk point for ending the harvest.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 18" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before October 2" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Norton Shores, MINumbered nearest stations: 1 — Montague, MI — 22 mi; 2 — Grand Rapids, MI — 40 mi; 3 — Big Rapids, MI — 53 mi; 4 — Hastings, MI — 60 mi; 5 — Manistee, MI — 72 mi.MI50 mi · 80 km1. Montague, MI — 22 mi12. Grand Rapids, MI — 40 mi23. Big Rapids, MI — 53 mi34. Hastings, MI — 60 mi45. Manistee, MI — 72 mi5
  1. Montague, MI 22 mi (35 km)
  2. Grand Rapids, MI 40 mi (64 km)
  3. Big Rapids, MI 53 mi (85 km)
  4. Hastings, MI 60 mi (97 km)
  5. Manistee, MI 72 mi (116 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 43.1711, -86.2367.