Hinton, IA 51024 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Hinton, IA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/30, roughly 245 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/04, about 157 frost-free days later.
Hinton 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 5 weeks of growing season left in Hinton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Hinton's last frost
04/30 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. 05/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Hinton compares
Hinton's growing season runs about 157 days, ranking 33,383 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 840 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Hinton can differ from the 51024 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Hinton's frost date answer different questions.