Waukon, IA 52172 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Waukon, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/02, about 247 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 161 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Waukon 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
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Waukon before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Waukon's last frost
05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/16 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Waukon compares
About 161 days separate Waukon's last and first frost, putting it 32,043 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 746 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Waukon's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Waukon can differ from the 52172 normal.