Elwood, IL 60421 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Elwood, IL?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/19, roughly 234 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/25, about 188 frost-free days later.
Elwood sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 8 weeks of growing season left in Elwood before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/03 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Elwood compares
About 188 days separate Elwood's last and first frost, putting it 22,068 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 683 of 1,548.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Elwood's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Elwood's dates instead of trusting one.