Waukesha, WI 53188 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Waukesha, WI?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/01, roughly 246 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 162 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Waukesha in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Waukesha before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Waukesha's last frost
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 Waukesha compares
Waukesha's growing season runs about 162 days, ranking 31,593 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within WI, it ranks 248 of 860.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Waukesha can differ from the 53188 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Waukesha's frost date answer different questions.