Gray, IA 50110 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gray, IA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/27, roughly 242 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 166 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gray in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Gray before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/27 isn't a guarantee
04/27 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/13 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 Gray compares
At roughly 166 frost-free days, Gray places 30,465 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IA, it ranks 480 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Gray can differ from the 50110 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Gray's frost date answer different questions.