Frost Dates for 51601 — Shenandoah, Iowa

Half of springs at Shenandoah, IA see their last 32°F night by April 20; only one in ten is past it by April 5, and one in ten still has one after May 3. Planting tender crops after April 26 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 29 20%, and after May 3 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 42% of the 132 Iowa stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 17 in half of years, as early as October 1 one year in ten, and holds off past October 29 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 26; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 179 days in a typical year, longer than at 86% of the 132 Iowa stations; it reaches 198 days one year in ten and falls short of 159 one year in ten. On average 137 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 10 days longer, to about April 30, and return around October 6. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 22 and March 11.

July is the warmest month at Shenandoah, IA, averaging 87°F by day and 67°F at night; January is the coldest at 33°F and 14°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 15% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,644 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 99% of the 132 Iowa stations. 36% of them (1,314) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 831. Precipitation totals 36.4 inches a year, most in May (6.2") and least in January (0.9"); May to September bring 63% of it.

The nearest other station, Clarinda, IA, 18 miles east of Shenandoah, has a last frost 5 days later (April 25), a first frost 6 days earlier (October 11), a season 11 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Shenandoah usually arrives around November 28, and the last of the season around March 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Shenandoah, IA, 1.6 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 38 days after the last snow.

ZIP 51601 is 2 miles from Shenandoah, IA, which stands at 999 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 51601 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.