FrostDateCheck

Hanover, IL 61041 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Hanover, IL?

Zone 5a

Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/01, roughly 246 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/09, about 160 frost-free days later.

The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Hanover in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 6 weeks of growing season left in Hanover 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

05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Hanover compares

About 160 days separate Hanover's last and first frost, putting it 32,454 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 1,540 of 1,548.

Learn more

the frost range covers how to read the range around Hanover's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Hanover can differ from the 61041 normal.