FrostDateCheck

Gary, IN 46402 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Gary, IN, ZIP 46402

Zone 6a

The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/22, about 237 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/27, about 188 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gary in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 6a around Gary has about 9 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.

Why 04/22 isn't a guarantee

04/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/08 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Gary compares

About 188 days separate Gary's last and first frost, putting it 21,823 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IN, it ranks 278 of 927.

Learn more

zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Gary's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Gary's dates instead of trusting one.