Shambaugh, IA 51651 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Shambaugh, IA, ZIP 51651
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/25, roughly 240 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 168 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Shambaugh 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 Shambaugh has about 6 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 Shambaugh's last frost
04/25 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. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Shambaugh compares
Shambaugh's growing season runs about 168 days, ranking 29,800 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 399 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Shambaugh's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Shambaugh can differ from the 51651 normal.