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 60012
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 60012 in zone 5b (the coldest night of a typical year: -15 to -10°F).
The nearest station, McHenry W.G. Stratton Lock and Dam, IL, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 5b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McHenry W.G. Stratton Lock and Dam, IL | 4 mi | 736 ft | May 1 | May 19 | October 11 | 5b |
| Crystal Lake, IL4 mi NW | 4 mi | 940 ft | April 25 | May 9 | October 22 | – |
| Mundelein, IL4 mi WSW | 12 mi | 840 ft | April 29 | May 15 | October 20 | 5b |
| Barrington, IL3 mi SW | 13 mi | 875 ft | April 25 | May 12 | October 19 | 5b |
| Elgin, IL | 15 mi | 763 ft | April 26 | May 12 | October 18 | 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 McHenry W.G. Stratton Lock and Dam
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 28 | May 21 | May 12 | April 28 | October 1 | September 19 |
| 32°F | May 19 | May 8 | May 1 | April 16 | October 11 | September 27 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 6 | April 26 | April 19 | April 5 | October 22 | October 7 |
| 24°F | April 22 | April 14 | April 8 | March 24 | November 2 | October 21 |
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.