USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 65486 — Iberia, Missouri
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Iberia, MO (938 ft), under a mile southwest.
Updated
In Iberia, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 8 in half of years and has passed by April 26 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 28, as early as October 15 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 200 days (NOAA, Iberia, MO).
- Last spring frost
- April 8
- First fall frost
- October 28
- Growing season
- 200 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 21
- Last snow
- February 24
- Winters with snow
- 92%
- Snow per year
- 7.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
23 of 25 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Iberia
Half of springs at Iberia, MO see their last 32°F night by April 8; only one in ten is past it by March 26, and one in ten still has one after April 26. Planting tender crops after April 15 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 20 20%, and after April 26 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 82% of the 158 Missouri stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 28 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 14, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 200 days in a typical year, longer than at 70% of the 158 Missouri stations; it reaches 220 days one year in ten and falls short of 179 one year in ten. On average 101 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 14 days longer, to about April 22, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 7 and February 28.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 3 | May 7 |
| 32°F | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 20 | Apr 26 |
| 28°F | Mar 12 | Mar 18 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 14 |
| 24°F | Mar 1 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 | Apr 3 |
| 20°F | Feb 18 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 7 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 18 | Mar 24 |
| 16°F | Feb 5 | Feb 14 | Feb 19 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 16 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 4 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 |
| 32°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
| 28°F | Oct 24 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 22 |
| 24°F | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 5 |
| 20°F | Nov 8 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
| 16°F | Nov 16 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 12 | Dec 18 | Dec 22 | Dec 28 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Iberia, MO, 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 65486 →Compare Iberia with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Lakeside, MO, 19 miles west of Iberia and 348 feet lower, has a last frost 8 days earlier (March 31), a first frost 6 days later (November 3), a season 16 days longer.
When it snows in Iberia, Missouri
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Iberia usually arrives around December 21, and the last of the season around February 24. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Iberia, MO, 0.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 92% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 43 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 65486
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 28 – February 11 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 11 – February 25 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 11 – March 25 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 8 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 5 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 14 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 28 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 65486 is under a mile from Iberia, MO, which stands at 938 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 65459 (Dixon). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 65486 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°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.