Malden, IL 61337 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Malden, IL?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/22, about 237 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/17, about 177 frost-free days later.
Malden sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Malden 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
04/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/09 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Malden compares
About 177 days separate Malden's last and first frost, putting it 26,255 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 1,141 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Malden can differ from the 61337 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Malden's frost date answer different questions.