Chicago, IL 60610 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Chicago, IL?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/10, about 225 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/05, about 208 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chicago in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 10 weeks of growing season left in Chicago before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/10 isn't a guarantee
04/10 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/29 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/25 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Chicago compares
About 208 days separate Chicago's last and first frost, putting it 15,463 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 59 of 1,548.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Chicago's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Chicago can differ from the 60610 normal.