Springfield, IL 62703 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Springfield, IL, ZIP 62703
Around 04/14 is the usual last spring frost, about 229 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/20, about 187 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Springfield, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Springfield 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 04/14 isn't a guarantee
04/14 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Springfield compares
About 187 days separate Springfield's last and first frost, putting it 22,269 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 713 of 1,548.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Springfield can differ from the 62703 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Springfield's frost date answer different questions.