Des Moines, IA 50313 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Des Moines, IA, ZIP 50313
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/23, about 238 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/15, about 173 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Des Moines, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Des Moines has about 7 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 04/23 isn't a guarantee
04/23 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. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Des Moines compares
Des Moines's growing season runs about 173 days, ranking 27,668 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 211 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Des Moines's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Des Moines can differ from the 50313 normal.