Waupun, WI 53963 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Waupun, WI?
Around 05/01 is the usual last spring frost, about 246 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 163 frost-free days later.
Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 Waupun, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Waupun 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
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/16 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Waupun compares
About 163 days separate Waupun's last and first frost, putting it 31,353 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within WI, it ranks 222 of 860.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Waupun can differ from the 53963 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Waupun's frost date answer different questions.