Milwaukee, WI 53213 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Milwaukee, WI?
Around 04/26 is the usual last spring frost, about 241 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/22, about 177 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 Milwaukee, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Milwaukee before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/26 isn't a guarantee
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Milwaukee compares
About 177 days separate Milwaukee's last and first frost, putting it 25,953 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within WI, it ranks 63 of 860.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Milwaukee can differ from the 53213 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Milwaukee's frost date answer different questions.