Norwalk, IA 50211 Frost Dates
Norwalk, IA: when does the frost end?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/18, about 233 days from today. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 10/20, roughly 184 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Norwalk in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 8 weeks until Norwalk's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 04/18 isn't a guarantee
04/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 04/04 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/02 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Norwalk against the rest of the dataset
Norwalk's growing season runs about 184 days, ranking 23,458 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 59 of 1,042.
Learn more
Before leaning on 50211's figures: local microclimates explains what one yard in Norwalk can differ from the 50211 normal, while zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Norwalk's frost date answer different questions.