Lake City, IA 51449 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Lake City, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/26, about 241 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 167 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 Lake City, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Lake City before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/26 isn't a guarantee
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/11 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/06 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lake City compares
At roughly 167 frost-free days, Lake City places 30,045 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IA, it ranks 418 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Lake City's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Lake City can differ from the 51449 normal.