Shell Lake, WI 54870 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Shell Lake, WI?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/14, roughly 259 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/28, about 135 frost-free days later.
Shell Lake sits in USDA Zone 4a (-30 to -25°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 4 weeks of growing season left in Shell Lake before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/14 isn't a guarantee
05/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Shell Lake compares
About 135 days separate Shell Lake's last and first frost, putting it 37,880 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within WI, it ranks 774 of 860.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4a and Shell Lake's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Shell Lake's dates instead of trusting one.