Your nature year
Saginaw, Michiganthrough the year
Also for Midland, MI, Bay City, MI: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Saginaw?
Leaves usually come out around Apr 12 and the first flowers around May 11. About 4 weeks pass between first leaf and first bloom here.
Frost usually lets go around Apr 29 and comes back around Oct 21, according to NOAA's Saginaw #3 station, 0.6 miles away: roughly 175 days without it. The closest place we follow is Shiawassee Refuge, 7 miles away, for fall foliage, usually the second or third week of October (usually). For spring migration, the nearest is Shiawassee Refuge (7 mi, April and May are the best months to see spring migratory birds (local timing)). We follow 3 places within 150 miles of Saginaw; the nearest lies 7 miles to the south.
Updated Sep 27. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Near Saginaw right now
- First fall frost usually around Oct 21 · last spring frost around Apr 29NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Saginaw #3 (0.6 mi, 50% dates)~3 weeks
- Shiawassee Refuge · 7 mi · Local timing: September and October are the best months for fall migratory birdsWinter wildlife · in its window now
- Fall foliage · Shiawassee Refuge · 7 miUsually: usually the second or third week of October~8 days
Your guide around Saginaw
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Shiawassee Refuge · 7 miUsually: usually the second or third week of October~8 days
- Au Sable River · 76 miLocal timing: October~1 day
Spring migration
- Shiawassee Refuge · 7 miLocal timing: April and May are the best months to see spring migratory birds~6 months
- Ottawa Refuge · 131 miLocal timing: late April to mid-May~7 months
Winter wildlife
- Shiawassee Refuge · 7 miLocal timing: September and October are the best months for fall migratory birds
- Ottawa Refuge · 131 miUsually: waterfowl numbers peak in October~1 day
Saginaw's nature year
- Spring migration · Shiawassee RefugeApr–May
- Apr: Spring green-upApr
- Apr: Last spring frostApr
- Winter wildlife · Shiawassee RefugeNowSep–Oct
- Oct: First fall frostOct
- Oct: Fall foliage · Shiawassee RefugeOct
Saginaw's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 29 to ~Oct 21
- First leaf ~Apr 12
- First bloom ~May 11
- Today
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 29
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 21
About 175 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Apr 12
First bloom around May 11
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Saginaw #3 (0.6 mi from Saginaw), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Snow in Saginaw
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 27 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Saginaw #3 (0.6 mi away): 41 inches of snow in an average year, about 14.5 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Saginaw?
On average around Oct 21, and the last spring frost around Apr 29: about 175 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Saginaw #3, 0.6 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Saginaw?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Apr 12 and first bloom around May 11, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Saginaw?
Shiawassee Refuge, 7 miles (usually: usually the second or third week of October); Au Sable River, 76 miles (local timing: October). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see spring migration near Saginaw?
Shiawassee Refuge, 7 miles (local timing: April and May are the best months to see spring migratory birds); Ottawa Refuge, 131 miles (local timing: late April to mid-May). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Saginaw?
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 27: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Saginaw #3. An average year brings 41 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27)