Brandon, IA 52210 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Brandon, IA, ZIP 52210
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/30, about 245 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/07, about 159 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Brandon 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 Brandon 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Brandon compares
About 159 days separate Brandon's last and first frost, putting it 32,754 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 794 of 1,042.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Brandon's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Brandon's dates instead of trusting one.