Chester, IL 62233 Frost Dates
62233, near Chester, IL: the frost window
Around 04/19 is the usual last spring frost, about 234 days away. Fall's first freeze usually shows up around 10/20, roughly 182 days after the last spring frost.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Chester in Zone 7a (0 to 5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
Stretching the season past the first frost
Chester's growing season runs out in roughly 8 weeks — a cold frame or greenhouse kit is the usual way to keep cool-weather crops going past the first frost.
Why 04/19 isn't a guarantee
04/19 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Getting tender plants in by 04/03 carries real risk, frost has hit that late in about 9 of 10 years here. Wait until 05/03 and only about 1 year in 10 sees frost after that.
Chester against the rest of the dataset
Chester's growing season runs about 182 days, ranking 24,117 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IL, it ranks 896 of 1,548.
Learn more
Two guides worth reading on 62233: the frost range, on how to read the range around Chester's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates, on what one yard in Chester can differ from the 62233 normal.