Independence, IA 50644 Frost Dates
Independence, IA: when does the frost end?
Around 04/30 is the usual last spring frost, about 245 days away. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 10/07, roughly 159 days after the last spring frost.
Independence 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.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 6 weeks until Independence's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
Why 04/30 isn't a guarantee
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 04/16 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/12 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Independence against the rest of the dataset
Independence's growing season runs about 159 days, ranking 32,637 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 777 of 1,042.
Learn more
Before leaning on 50644's figures: local microclimates explains what one yard in Independence can differ from the 50644 normal, while zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Independence's frost date answer different questions.