Cornell, IL 61319 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Cornell, IL?
Around 04/12 is the usual last spring frost, about 227 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/28, about 199 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cornell 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 9 weeks of growing season left in Cornell 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
04/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/30 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 Cornell compares
At roughly 199 frost-free days, Cornell places 18,192 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IL, it ranks 297 of 1,548.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Cornell's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Cornell can differ from the 61319 normal.