Carroll, IA 51401 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Carroll, IA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/27, roughly 242 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 166 frost-free days later.
Carroll 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 Carroll 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. 05/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Carroll compares
About 166 days separate Carroll's last and first frost, putting it 30,318 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 449 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Carroll's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Carroll can differ from the 51401 normal.