Paris, IL 61955 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Paris, IL?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/21, roughly 236 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/20, about 179 frost-free days later.
Paris 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 8 weeks of growing season left in Paris 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
04/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/06 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Paris compares
About 179 days separate Paris's last and first frost, putting it 25,258 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 1,020 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Paris can differ from the 61955 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Paris's frost date answer different questions.