Akron, IA 51001 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Akron, IA, ZIP 51001
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/01, about 246 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/04, about 155 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 Akron, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5a around Akron has about 5 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Akron compares
About 155 days separate Akron's last and first frost, putting it 34,004 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 870 of 1,042.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Akron's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Akron's dates instead of trusting one.