FrostDateCheck

Aurora, IL 60519 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Aurora, IL?

Zone 5b

Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/19, roughly 234 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/23, about 185 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Aurora in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.

What to do before the first frost

About 8 weeks of growing season left in Aurora 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 04/05 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/04 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Aurora compares

At roughly 185 frost-free days, Aurora places 23,007 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IL, it ranks 817 of 1,548.

Learn more

the frost range covers how to read the range around Aurora's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Aurora can differ from the 60519 normal.