Missouri Valley, IA 51555 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Missouri Valley, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/29, about 244 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/08, about 162 frost-free days later.
Missouri Valley 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
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Missouri Valley 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
04/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Missouri Valley compares
At roughly 162 frost-free days, Missouri Valley places 31,749 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IA, it ranks 697 of 1,042.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Missouri Valley's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Missouri Valley's dates instead of trusting one.