Carson, IA 51525 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Carson, IA, ZIP 51525
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/23, about 238 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/14, about 174 frost-free days later.
Carson sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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
Zone 5b around Carson has about 7 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
04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Carson compares
About 174 days separate Carson's last and first frost, putting it 27,567 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 196 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Carson can differ from the 51525 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Carson's frost date answer different questions.