Emmetsburg, IA 50536 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Emmetsburg, IA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/27, roughly 242 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/07, about 164 frost-free days later.
Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 Emmetsburg, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Emmetsburg before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Emmetsburg's last frost
04/27 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Emmetsburg compares
Emmetsburg's growing season runs about 164 days, ranking 30,933 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 584 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Emmetsburg's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Emmetsburg can differ from the 50536 normal.