Rockdale, IL 60433 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Rockdale, IL?
Around 04/19 is the usual last spring frost, about 234 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/25, about 188 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 Rockdale, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Rockdale 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 04/03 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 Rockdale compares
About 188 days separate Rockdale's last and first frost, putting it 22,081 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 685 of 1,548.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Rockdale's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Rockdale can differ from the 60433 normal.