Chicago, IL 60454 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Chicago, IL, ZIP 60454
Around 04/11 is the usual last spring frost, about 226 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/31, about 201 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 Chicago, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Chicago has about 9 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/11 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/27 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chicago compares
About 201 days separate Chicago's last and first frost, putting it 17,416 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 210 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Chicago can differ from the 60454 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Chicago's frost date answer different questions.