Urbana, IA 52345 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Urbana, IA, ZIP 52345
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/28, roughly 243 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/12, about 166 frost-free days later.
Urbana sits in USDA Zone 5a (-20 to -15°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5a around Urbana 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.
Why 04/28 isn't a guarantee
04/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/14 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Urbana compares
Urbana's growing season runs about 166 days, ranking 30,391 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 459 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Urbana's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Urbana can differ from the 52345 normal.