Elgin, IL 60121 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Elgin, IL?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/30, roughly 245 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 163 frost-free days later.
Elgin sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Elgin before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/30 isn't a guarantee
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/16 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elgin compares
About 163 days separate Elgin's last and first frost, putting it 31,276 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 1,507 of 1,548.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Elgin's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Elgin's dates instead of trusting one.