Mill Shoals, IL 62862 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Mill Shoals, IL, ZIP 62862
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/15, about 230 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/19, about 183 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Mill Shoals 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 Mill Shoals has about 7 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 04/15 isn't a guarantee
04/15 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/02 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Mill Shoals compares
Mill Shoals's growing season runs about 183 days, ranking 24,033 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IL, it ranks 892 of 1,548.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Mill Shoals's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Mill Shoals can differ from the 62862 normal.