Lester, IA 51242 Frost Dates
Lester, IA: when does the frost end?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/01, about 246 days from today. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 10/04, roughly 156 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lester in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
With roughly 5 weeks until Lester's first fall frost, a row cover or cold frame is what stretches the last few weeks of harvest here.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 04/18 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/13 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Lester against the rest of the dataset
Lester's growing season runs about 156 days, ranking 33,825 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 865 of 1,042.
Learn more
Before leaning on 51242's figures: zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Lester's frost date answer different questions, while the frost range explains how to read the range around Lester's dates instead of trusting one.