Big Bend, WI 53103 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Big Bend, WI, ZIP 53103
Around 05/01 is the usual last spring frost, about 246 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 162 frost-free days later.
Big Bend 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
Zone 5b around Big Bend has about 7 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 05/01 isn't a guarantee
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/18 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/18 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Big Bend compares
Big Bend's growing season runs about 162 days, ranking 31,776 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within WI, it ranks 275 of 860.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Big Bend's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Big Bend can differ from the 53103 normal.