Frost Dates for 50501 — Fort Dodge, Iowa

Half of springs at Fort Dodge 5NNW, IA see their last 32°F night by April 28; only one in ten is past it by April 13, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after May 3 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 11 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 88% of the 132 Iowa stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 8 in half of years, as early as September 24 one year in ten, and holds off past October 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 1, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 162 days in a typical year, shorter than at 61% of the 132 Iowa stations; it reaches 182 days one year in ten and falls short of 144 one year in ten. On average 157 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 8 days longer, to about May 6, and return around September 30. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 14 and March 21.

July is the warmest month at Fort Dodge 5NNW, IA, averaging 83°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 26°F and 7°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 39% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,777 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 77% of the 132 Iowa stations. 35% of them (959) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 693. Precipitation totals 35.3 inches a year, most in June (5.5") and least in January (1.0"); May to September bring 61% of it.

The nearest other station, Humboldt Wtp, IA, 15 miles north of Fort Dodge, has a last frost 1 day earlier (April 27), a first frost 1 day later (October 9), a season 4 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Fort Dodge usually arrives around November 14, and the last of the season around April 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Fort Dodge 5NNW, IA, 5.9 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 20 days after the last snow.

ZIP 50501 is 6 miles from Fort Dodge 5NNW, IA, which stands at 1,115 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 50501 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.