Columbus, IL 62306 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Columbus, IL, ZIP 62306
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/14, roughly 229 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/23, about 191 frost-free days later.
Columbus 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
Zone 6a around Columbus has about 8 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Columbus compares
Columbus's growing season runs about 191 days, ranking 20,941 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IL, it ranks 480 of 1,548.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Columbus's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Columbus can differ from the 62306 normal.