Cowden, IL 62438 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Cowden, IL, ZIP 62438
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/16, roughly 231 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/22, about 187 frost-free days later.
Cowden sits in USDA Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 6b around Cowden 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.
Why 04/16 isn't a guarantee
04/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/03 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 Cowden compares
Cowden's growing season runs about 187 days, ranking 22,554 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IL, it ranks 788 of 1,548.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Cowden's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Cowden can differ from the 62438 normal.