Audubon, IA 50117 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Audubon, IA?
Around 05/02 is the usual last spring frost, about 247 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/03, about 153 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Audubon 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 5 weeks of growing season left in Audubon before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Audubon's last frost
05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/18 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Audubon compares
About 153 days separate Audubon's last and first frost, putting it 34,544 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 918 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Audubon can differ from the 50117 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Audubon's frost date answer different questions.