Salem Lakes, WI 53179 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Salem Lakes, WI, ZIP 53179
Around 04/23 is the usual last spring frost, about 238 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 179 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 Salem Lakes, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Salem Lakes 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/09 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Salem Lakes compares
Salem Lakes's growing season runs about 179 days, ranking 25,223 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within WI, it ranks 32 of 860.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Salem Lakes can differ from the 53179 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Salem Lakes's frost date answer different questions.