Donahue, IA 52746 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Donahue, IA?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/21, about 236 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/17, about 176 frost-free days later.
Donahue sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Donahue before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Donahue compares
Donahue's growing season runs about 176 days, ranking 26,624 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IA, it ranks 155 of 1,042.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Donahue's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Donahue can differ from the 52746 normal.