Elkhart, IA 50073 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Elkhart, IA, ZIP 50073
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/23, about 238 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/15, about 173 frost-free days later.
Elkhart sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Elkhart has about 7 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.
The actual range around Elkhart's last frost
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. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elkhart compares
Elkhart's growing season runs about 173 days, ranking 27,982 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 259 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Elkhart's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Elkhart can differ from the 50073 normal.