Laurel, IA 50141 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Laurel, IA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/22, roughly 237 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/17, about 174 frost-free days later.
Laurel 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
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Laurel before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Laurel's last frost
04/22 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. 05/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Laurel compares
About 174 days separate Laurel's last and first frost, putting it 27,638 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 204 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Laurel can differ from the 50141 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Laurel's frost date answer different questions.