Crescent, IA 51542 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Crescent, IA, ZIP 51542
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/18, about 233 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 185 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Crescent in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Crescent has about 8 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.
The actual range around Crescent's last frost
04/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/05 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Crescent compares
Crescent's growing season runs about 185 days, ranking 23,270 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 45 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Crescent can differ from the 51542 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Crescent's frost date answer different questions.