FrostDateCheck

Vernon, IL 62892 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Vernon, IL?

Zone 6b

Around 04/03 is the usual last spring frost, about 218 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/24, about 202 frost-free days later.

Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 Vernon, not a forecast for this year.

What to do before the first frost

About 8 weeks of growing season left in Vernon before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

How much risk comes with planting early here

04/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/25 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Vernon compares

About 202 days separate Vernon's last and first frost, putting it 17,387 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within IL, it ranks 195 of 1,548.

Learn more

the frost range covers how to read the range around Vernon's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Vernon can differ from the 62892 normal.