Gilmore City, IA 50541 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Gilmore City, IA, ZIP 50541
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/26, about 241 days from today. 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 Gilmore City, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5a around Gilmore City has about 6 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 04/26 isn't a guarantee
04/26 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. 05/08 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gilmore City compares
About 164 days separate Gilmore City's last and first frost, putting it 31,130 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 618 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Gilmore City can differ from the 50541 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Gilmore City's frost date answer different questions.