Rockbridge, IL 62081 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Rockbridge, IL?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/14, about 229 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/19, about 187 frost-free days later.
Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 Rockbridge, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Rockbridge before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/14 isn't a guarantee
04/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/30 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Rockbridge compares
At roughly 187 frost-free days, Rockbridge places 22,619 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within IL, it ranks 803 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Rockbridge can differ from the 62081 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Rockbridge's frost date answer different questions.