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 60048
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 60048 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Waukegan, IL, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waukegan, IL | 5 mi | 700 ft | April 30 | May 14 | October 19 | – |
| Mundelein, IL4 mi WSW | 7 mi | 840 ft | April 29 | May 15 | October 20 | 5b |
| Chicago Waukegan Regional Airport, IL | 9 mi | 727 ft | April 30 | May 16 | October 21 | 6a |
| Lake Villa, IL2 mi NE | 11 mi | 840 ft | April 24 | May 9 | October 23 | 5b |
| Wheeling, ILChicago Palwaukee Airport | 12 mi | 636 ft | April 19 | May 3 | October 26 | 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 Waukegan
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 27 | May 16 | May 8 | April 25 | October 8 | September 22 |
| 32°F | May 14 | May 4 | April 30 | April 15 | October 19 | September 30 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 3 | April 26 | April 20 | April 5 | October 30 | October 12 |
| 24°F | April 24 | April 15 | April 9 | March 23 | November 10 | October 28 |
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.