Bloomington, IL 61710 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Bloomington, IL?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/25, about 240 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/16, about 172 frost-free days later.
Bloomington sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 Bloomington before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Bloomington's last frost
04/25 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. 05/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Bloomington compares
About 172 days separate Bloomington's last and first frost, putting it 28,132 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 1,332 of 1,548.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Bloomington's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Bloomington's dates instead of trusting one.