Clare, IA 50524 Frost Dates
Clare, IA: when does the frost end?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/28, about 243 days from today. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 10/08, roughly 162 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Clare in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 6 weeks until Clare's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 04/28 isn't a guarantee
04/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 04/13 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/09 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Clare against the rest of the dataset
Clare's growing season runs about 162 days, ranking 31,888 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 741 of 1,042.
Learn more
Before leaning on 50524's figures: the frost range explains how to read the range around Clare's dates instead of trusting one, while local microclimates explains what one yard in Clare can differ from the 50524 normal.