FrostDateCheck

Steamboat Rock, IA 50672 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Steamboat Rock, IA?

Zone 5a

Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/27, roughly 242 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 165 frost-free days later.

Steamboat Rock 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.

What to do before the first frost

About 6 weeks of growing season left in Steamboat Rock before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

How much risk comes with planting early here

04/27 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/13 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 Steamboat Rock compares

About 165 days separate Steamboat Rock's last and first frost, putting it 30,742 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 547 of 1,042.

Learn more

the frost range covers how to read the range around Steamboat Rock's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Steamboat Rock can differ from the 50672 normal.