Frost dates in Grand Rapids, Michigan
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.
Short answer
The average last spring frost in Grand Rapids is April 29, and the average first fall frost is October 20, from NOAA's Grand Rapids station, 7 miles from the middle of Grand Rapids. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 15, and the first one by October 4. That leaves about 174 frost-free days. Grand Rapids is in USDA planting zone 6a.
Weather stations around Grand Rapids
The first row is the date most people in Grand Rapids go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Rapids 7 mi away, 778 ft | April 29 1 in 10 after May 15 | October 20 1 in 10 by October 4 | 174 days |
| E Grand Rapids 3 mi away, 746 ft | May 6 1 in 10 after May 23 | October 10 1 in 10 by September 29 | 157 days |
| Nwsfo Grand Rapids 7 mi away, 775 ft | April 30 1 in 10 after May 17 | October 14 1 in 10 by October 1 | 167 days |
| Kent City 2 SW 17 mi away, 840 ft | May 14 1 in 10 after May 31 | September 29 1 in 10 by September 14 | 138 days |
| Greenville 2 NNE 27 mi away, 882 ft | May 18 1 in 10 after June 3 | September 28 1 in 10 by September 15 | 133 days |
Distances are from the middle of Grand Rapids as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 49503, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Grand Rapids covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.
How these dates work
Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.
The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.
More frost dates
All of Michigan, station by station.
Other Michigan cities: Detroit
Nearby: Milwaukee, WI · Chicago, IL · Fort Wayne, IN
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer