Darien, IL 60561 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Darien, IL?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/19, about 234 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/22, about 183 frost-free days later.
Darien 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 Darien 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 04/06 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Darien compares
About 183 days separate Darien's last and first frost, putting it 23,772 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 876 of 1,548.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Darien's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Darien's dates instead of trusting one.