USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 52748 — Eldridge, Iowa
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Davenport WFO, IA (750 ft), 3 miles south.
Updated
In Eldridge, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 7 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 17, as early as October 3 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 176 days (NOAA, Davenport WFO, IA).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 17
- Growing season
- 176 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 4
- Last snow
- March 13
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 28.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
28 of 28 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Eldridge
Half of springs at Davenport WFO, IA see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after April 28 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 20%, and after May 7 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 95% 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 3 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 27, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 176 days in a typical year, longer than at 83% of the 132 Iowa stations; it reaches 196 days one year in ten and falls short of 158 one year in ten. On average 138 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 May 1, and return around October 7. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 25 and March 11.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 16 | Apr 21 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 4 | May 7 | May 10 | May 15 |
| 32°F | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 2 | May 7 |
| 28°F | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 27 |
| 24°F | Mar 15 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 16 |
| 20°F | Mar 4 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 |
| 16°F | Feb 25 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 9 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 28 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 23 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 20 |
| 32°F | Oct 3 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 29 |
| 28°F | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 8 |
| 24°F | Oct 23 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 |
| 20°F | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 |
| 16°F | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 11 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Davenport WFO, IA, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 52748 →Compare Eldridge with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Davenport, IA, 3 miles south of Eldridge, has a last frost 2 days later (April 23), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 15), a season 2 days shorter.
When it snows in Eldridge, Iowa
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Eldridge usually arrives around December 4, and the last of the season around March 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at De Witt, IA, 10.6 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 39 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 52748
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 25 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 3 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 17 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 52748 is 3 miles from Davenport WFO, IA, which stands at 750 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 52748 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.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.