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 60402
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 60402 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Chicago Midway Airport, IL, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 11 in half of years and after April 27 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 Midway Airport, IL | 4 mi | 612 ft | April 11 | April 27 | October 31 | 6a |
| Burbank, ILChicago Midway Airport (3 mi SW) | 7 mi | 620 ft | April 10 | April 26 | November 1 | – |
| Chicago Northerly Island, IL | 9 mi | 583 ft | April 10 | April 25 | November 5 | – |
| Little Red School House, IL | 10 mi | 715 ft | April 19 | May 5 | October 22 | – |
| Chicago, ILChicago O'Hare International Airport | 13 mi | 658 ft | April 16 | May 1 | October 28 | 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 Midway Airport
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 8 | April 30 | April 23 | April 9 | October 21 | October 8 |
| 32°F | April 27 | April 17 | April 11 | March 30 | October 31 | October 20 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 14 | April 6 | April 1 | March 15 | November 11 | October 31 |
| 24°F | April 3 | March 27 | March 20 | March 5 | November 20 | November 7 |
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.