FrostDateCheck

Van Horne, IA 52346 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Van Horne, IA, ZIP 52346

Zone 5a

Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/28, roughly 243 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 165 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Van Horne 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 Van Horne 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.

The actual range around Van Horne's last frost

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. 05/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Van Horne compares

Van Horne's growing season runs about 165 days, ranking 30,659 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 523 of 1,042.

Learn more

the frost range explains how to read the range around Van Horne's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Van Horne can differ from the 52346 normal.