Colfax, IL 61728 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Colfax, IL?
Around 04/21 is the usual last spring frost, about 236 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/17, about 178 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Colfax in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 Colfax before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/21 isn't a guarantee
04/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Colfax compares
About 178 days separate Colfax's last and first frost, putting it 25,827 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 1,092 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Colfax can differ from the 61728 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Colfax's frost date answer different questions.