Fayette, IA 52142 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Fayette, IA, ZIP 52142
Around 05/04 is the usual last spring frost, about 249 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/04, about 151 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Fayette in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 5a around Fayette 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/20 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Fayette compares
About 151 days separate Fayette's last and first frost, putting it 35,083 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 970 of 1,042.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Fayette's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Fayette's dates instead of trusting one.