Peru, IN 46971 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Peru, IN, ZIP 46971
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/23, roughly 238 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 181 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Peru in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Peru has about 8 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
04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Peru compares
About 181 days separate Peru's last and first frost, putting it 24,479 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IN, it ranks 465 of 927.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Peru's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Peru can differ from the 46971 normal.