Pilot Mound, IA 50223 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Pilot Mound, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/28, about 243 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/12, about 165 frost-free days later.
Pilot Mound sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Pilot Mound before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/28 isn't a guarantee
04/28 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. 05/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Pilot Mound compares
At roughly 165 frost-free days, Pilot Mound places 30,763 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IA, it ranks 558 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Pilot Mound can differ from the 50223 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Pilot Mound's frost date answer different questions.