Lerna, IL 62469 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Lerna, IL, ZIP 62469
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/11, about 226 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/29, about 199 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lerna in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6b around Lerna has about 9 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
04/11 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. 04/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lerna compares
About 199 days separate Lerna's last and first frost, putting it 18,219 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 301 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Lerna can differ from the 62469 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6b and Lerna's frost date answer different questions.