Paw Paw, IL 61353 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Paw Paw, IL, ZIP 61353
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/27, roughly 242 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/15, about 171 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Paw Paw 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
Zone 5b around Paw Paw has about 7 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 Paw Paw compares
About 171 days separate Paw Paw's last and first frost, putting it 28,750 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 1,379 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Paw Paw can differ from the 61353 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Paw Paw's frost date answer different questions.