Melrose, IA 52569 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Melrose, IA, ZIP 52569
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/18, about 233 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/23, about 187 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Melrose, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Melrose has about 8 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 04/18 isn't a guarantee
04/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/04 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Melrose compares
About 187 days separate Melrose's last and first frost, putting it 22,631 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IA, it ranks 25 of 1,042.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Melrose can differ from the 52569 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Melrose's frost date answer different questions.