Urbana, IL 61825 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Urbana, IL?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/15, roughly 230 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/24, about 190 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Urbana, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 8 weeks of growing season left in Urbana before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/15 isn't a guarantee
04/15 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Urbana compares
Urbana's growing season runs about 190 days, ranking 21,031 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IL, it ranks 498 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Urbana can differ from the 61825 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Urbana's frost date answer different questions.