Milwaukee, WI 53293 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.
Milwaukee sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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
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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
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 25,959 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within WI, it ranks 69 of 860.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Milwaukee's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Milwaukee can differ from the 53293 normal.