Athens, IL 62613 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Athens, IL, ZIP 62613
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/13, about 228 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 189 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Athens in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 6a around Athens 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 04/13 isn't a guarantee
04/13 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 Athens compares
About 189 days separate Athens's last and first frost, putting it 21,609 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 610 of 1,548.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Athens's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Athens's dates instead of trusting one.