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 60124
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 60124 in zone 5b (the coldest night of a typical year: -15 to -10°F).
The nearest station, Elgin, IL, is 7 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgin, IL | 7 mi | 763 ft | April 26 | May 12 | October 18 | 5b |
| West Chicago, ILWest Chicago Dupage Airport | 11 mi | 754 ft | April 25 | May 12 | October 19 | 5b |
| Streamwood, IL | 11 mi | 819 ft | April 30 | May 16 | October 13 | 5b |
| Barrington, IL3 mi SW | 14 mi | 875 ft | April 25 | May 12 | October 19 | 5b |
| Crystal Lake, IL4 mi NW | 17 mi | 940 ft | April 25 | May 9 | October 22 | – |
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 Elgin
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 24 | May 13 | May 6 | April 22 | October 7 | September 24 |
| 32°F | May 12 | May 1 | April 26 | April 12 | October 18 | October 3 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 29 | April 21 | April 14 | April 1 | October 29 | October 15 |
| 24°F | April 19 | April 8 | April 3 | March 19 | November 8 | October 27 |
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.