Lena, IL 61048 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Lena, IL, ZIP 61048
Around 04/27 is the usual last spring frost, about 242 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/09, about 165 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lena 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
Zone 5a around Lena has about 6 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.
Why 04/27 isn't a guarantee
04/27 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/12 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/12 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lena compares
At roughly 165 frost-free days, Lena places 30,593 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IL, it ranks 1,486 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Lena can differ from the 61048 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5a and Lena's frost date answer different questions.