Frost dates by ZIP code: The nearest NOAA stations to your ZIP, 1991-2020 normals
Enter a five-digit ZIP code. PlainClimate finds its center (Census Bureau 2024) and the five nearest NOAA stations with frost dates, and shows each station's last spring and first autumn 32°F dates with its distance and elevation.
Frost dates near ZIP 60004
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 60004 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Wheeling, IL, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 19 in half of years and after May 3 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 6a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheeling, ILChicago Palwaukee Airport | 4 mi | 636 ft | April 19 | May 3 | October 26 | 6a |
| Chicago, ILChicago O'Hare International Airport | 8 mi | 658 ft | April 16 | May 1 | October 28 | 6a |
| Barrington, IL3 mi SW | 9 mi | 875 ft | April 25 | May 12 | October 19 | 5b |
| Chicago Botanic Garden, IL | 10 mi | 630 ft | April 26 | May 11 | October 21 | 6a |
| Mundelein, IL4 mi WSW | 11 mi | 840 ft | April 29 | May 15 | October 20 | 5b |
Frost comes later in spring at higher and colder stations and earlier in low, open ground: prefer a station at a similar elevation to yours. Hardiness zone in the table: the USDA's rule (the average of each year's coldest night, 1991-2020) applied to the station's own record.
Every frost threshold at Wheeling
NOAA publishes the dates for several temperatures and odds. A 30% spring date means a 3-in-10 chance of a later frost (the convention almanacs use); 50% is the median; 10% the cautious date.
| Threshold | Spring, 10% | Spring, 30% | Spring, 50% | Spring, 90% | Autumn, 50% | Autumn, 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F (light frost) | May 15 | May 6 | April 30 | April 16 | October 16 | October 1 |
| 32°F | May 3 | April 25 | April 19 | April 4 | October 26 | October 13 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 20 | April 11 | April 5 | March 22 | November 7 | October 26 |
| 24°F | April 7 | March 31 | March 25 | March 9 | November 17 | November 4 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals; ZIP centers: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. Autumn 10%: one year in ten has its first frost before this date.