Cresco, IA 52136 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Cresco, IA, ZIP 52136
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/08, about 253 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/01, about 147 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cresco in Zone 4b (-25 to -20°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 4b around Cresco has about 5 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 Cresco's last frost
05/08 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/25 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Cresco compares
Cresco's growing season runs about 147 days, ranking 35,899 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 1,026 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Cresco can differ from the 52136 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 4b and Cresco's frost date answer different questions.