Meriden, IA 51037 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Meriden, IA, ZIP 51037
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/04, about 249 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/04, about 152 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 Meriden, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5a around Meriden 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
05/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/20 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Meriden compares
About 152 days separate Meriden's last and first frost, putting it 34,905 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 962 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Meriden can differ from the 51037 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Meriden's frost date answer different questions.