ROOTED IN REAL DATA Historical data. Thoughtful planning. No weather guarantees.
Iowa · Geographic reference lookup

Your climate reference
near Dawson.

We connect a real Census place to the nearest agricultural NOAA station, then show the distance and the limitations. This is not a locally validated planting calendar.

city · Census 2026
A reference, not your back garden

5.7 miles E
from the Census reference point.

The line connects Dawson’s published Census internal point to the weather station. It does not measure terrain, elevation differences or your garden’s microclimate.

9.1 km straight-line distance · Schematic, not a navigation map
N
Census place point Weather station
The nearest reference

Perry

Seasonal freeze reference · USC00136566

Full station data
Proximity is not a climate-validation score. Place elevation is unavailable in this Census source, so we cannot verify the elevation difference. The nearest station is never silently replaced by a colder one to create a planting calendar.
Spring median · freezing cold seasonsApr 25
Fall median · freezing cold seasonsOct 10
Modeled annual freeze occurrence100%
Uncertainty, made visible

One date never tells
the whole season.

1991–2020 station normals
32°F minimum-temperature threshold

Last spring freeze

Among cold seasons with a freeze: probability of the last occurrence on this date or later.

10%May 8
30%May 2
50%Apr 25Median reference
70%Apr 19
90%Apr 12

The 10% date is later in spring than the median: a more cautious historical reference, still not a guarantee.

First fall freeze

Among cold seasons with a freeze: probability of the first occurrence on this date or earlier.

10%Sep 25
30%Oct 3
50%Oct 10Median reference
70%Oct 16
90%Oct 24

The 10% date is earlier in fall than the median: a more cautious harvest-planning reference.

These percentages are conditional on a cold season containing a 32°F freeze; they are not probabilities across all years. They describe historical climate, not this season’s forecast. The spring and fall probability directions are intentionally different. A garden can be warmer or colder than the reference station.

Check the wider picture

Nearby station comparisons

Differences can signal exposure, elevation, location or data-quality effects.

NOAA referenceDistanceConditional spring medianConditional fall medianStatus
Perry5.7 miApr 25Oct 10Seasonal freeze reference
Jefferson14.6 miApr 26Oct 9Seasonal freeze reference
Guthrie Ctr18.7 miMay 2Oct 3Seasonal freeze reference

Available alternative-station median spread: spring 7 days; fall 7 days. This is a comparison of source references, not a measure of garden uncertainty.

Date probabilities apply among cold seasons with a 32°F freeze, not all years. Check each station’s annual occurrence and quality before comparing.

Know the geography

A traceable place.

Official Census name
Dawson city
Census GEOID
1919135
Published internal point
41.8431, -94.2203
Land area
1.3 km²
Water area
0.0 km²

The published point is inside the Census geography. It is not your address and does not represent every neighborhood or elevation within the place.

Original Census Gazetteer
From climate to gardening

Make the next
decision locally.

A date window alone cannot tell you which crops are suitable today. Check the current forecast, soil warmth, cultivar maturity and regional extension guidance.

Explore crop-specific evidence Current NWS point forecast Find university extension resources

Find your local climate reference

Choose a state, then search its cities, towns and Census-designated places.

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    Census places are not ZIP codes. A nearby station is a reference, not a garden-level measurement. Distance and data limitations are shown before any calculation.