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 60005
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 60005 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Chicago, IL, is 6 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 16 in half of years and after May 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago, ILChicago O'Hare International Airport | 6 mi | 658 ft | April 16 | May 1 | October 28 | 6a |
| Wheeling, ILChicago Palwaukee Airport | 6 mi | 636 ft | April 19 | May 3 | October 26 | 6a |
| Barrington, IL3 mi SW | 10 mi | 875 ft | April 25 | May 12 | October 19 | 5b |
| Streamwood, IL | 10 mi | 819 ft | April 30 | May 16 | October 13 | 5b |
| Chicago Botanic Garden, IL | 12 mi | 630 ft | April 26 | May 11 | October 21 | 6a |
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 Chicago
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 13 | May 4 | April 29 | April 15 | October 18 | October 3 |
| 32°F | May 1 | April 22 | April 16 | April 3 | October 28 | October 15 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 19 | April 10 | April 5 | March 21 | November 7 | October 27 |
| 24°F | April 8 | March 31 | March 24 | March 7 | November 17 | November 3 |
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.