Arlington Heights, IL 60055 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Arlington Heights, IL?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/19, about 234 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/26, about 190 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Arlington Heights, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Arlington Heights before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/19 isn't a guarantee
04/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/04 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/03 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Arlington Heights compares
About 190 days separate Arlington Heights's last and first frost, putting it 21,000 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 490 of 1,548.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Arlington Heights's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Arlington Heights's dates instead of trusting one.