Hastings, IA 51540 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Hastings, IA, ZIP 51540
Around 04/24 is the usual last spring frost, about 239 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 169 frost-free days later.
Hastings 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 Hastings 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
04/24 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. 05/08 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Hastings compares
Hastings's growing season runs about 169 days, ranking 29,618 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 359 of 1,042.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Hastings's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Hastings's dates instead of trusting one.