Milwaukee, WI 53288 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Milwaukee, WI?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/26, roughly 241 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/22, about 177 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Milwaukee in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 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.
The actual range around Milwaukee's last frost
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 25,957 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within WI, it ranks 67 of 860.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Milwaukee's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Milwaukee's dates instead of trusting one.