Rolling Meadows, IL 60173 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Rolling Meadows, 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.
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 Rolling Meadows, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Rolling Meadows 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 Rolling Meadows compares
Rolling Meadows's growing season runs about 163 days, ranking 31,326 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IL, it ranks 1,519 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Rolling Meadows can differ from the 60173 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Rolling Meadows's frost date answer different questions.