Rochelle, IL 61068 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Rochelle, IL?
Around 04/26 is the usual last spring frost, about 241 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 168 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rochelle 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 7 weeks of growing season left in Rochelle before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Rochelle's last frost
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/11 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 Rochelle compares
About 168 days separate Rochelle's last and first frost, putting it 29,693 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 1,440 of 1,548.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Rochelle's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Rochelle's dates instead of trusting one.