Frost dates / Illinois / Palatine

Frost dates in Palatine, IL

The station on this page is BARRINGTON 3SW, IL US (USC00110442), 6.1 miles from the city point. Population in the Census 2024 estimate is 65,951.

Zone 5bUSDA average annual extreme minimum -15°F to -10°F, from ZIP 60067 (1.2 miles from the city point used on this page).

Median last 32°F is April 25. Median first 32°F is October 19. The 50% growing-season length is 177 days. The green band runs from the median last frost to the median first frost. Thin ticks mark the 10%, 50%, and 90% dates.

Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%

Last 32°F in spring

NCEI’s probability is the chance the last spring minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or after the date.

ProbabilityDateHow to read it
90%April 10Earlier date. A last 32°F on or after this day is common.
50%April 25Median.
10%May 12Later date. A last 32°F on or after this day is uncommon.

First 32°F in fall

NCEI’s probability is the chance the first autumn minimum of 32°F or lower occurs on or before the date.

ProbabilityDateHow to read it
10%October 5Earlier date. A first 32°F on or before this day is uncommon.
50%October 19Median.
90%November 1Later date. A first 32°F on or before this day is common.

32°F growing-season length

Days between the last spring 32°F and the first autumn 32°F. The figure is a length the season meets or exceeds at that probability, from NCEI, not a subtraction done on this site.

Probability the season is at least this longDays
10%196
50%177
90%152

28°F threshold

10%50%90%
Last, on or afterApril 30April 12March 31
First, on or beforeOctober 15October 30November 12
Season at least218 days200 days178 days

36°F threshold

10%50%90%
Last, on or afterMay 25May 6April 22
First, on or beforeSeptember 27October 11October 23
Season at least176 days154 days132 days

Station BARRINGTON 3SW, IL US (USC00110442). Completeness flag R, 21 years used for the 32°F dates. NCEI’s annual probability of at least one day at or below 32°F is 100%. Freeze dates are conditional on that threshold occurring. Elevation 266.7 m. The same probability language applies to the 28°F and 36°F rows when those dates passed the same quality checks.

Planting calendar for Palatine · Zone 5b

Check a crop against this station

Palatine, IL

Zone 5bAverage annual extreme minimum -15°F to -10°F

Median last 32°F is April 25. Median first 32°F is October 19. The 50% growing-season length is 177 days. The green band runs from the median last frost to the median first frost. Thin ticks mark the 10%, 50%, and 90% dates.

Outside the median season Growing seasonTicks: 10%, 50%, and 90%

Illinois. Nearest qualified station: BARRINGTON 3SW, IL US (USC00110442), 6.1 miles. Median last 32°F April 25. Median first 32°F October 19. The 50% growing-season length is 177 days.

Open the ZIP page · Crop guides for Illinois

32°F probabilities at this station
10%50%90%
Last 32°F on or afterMay 12April 25April 10
First 32°F on or beforeOctober 5October 19November 1

Column order matches the NCEI file: for the last freeze, 10% is the later date and 90% is the earlier date. How to read the probabilities.

A wall calendar surrounded by vegetables, herbs, seed packets, and watering cans.

Planting calendar

Windows below are from University of Illinois Extension, When to Plant, retrieved 2026-10-10. The planting chart is divided into Northern Illinois, Central Illinois, and Southern Illinois. Median dates for the last 32-degree freeze on the same page: Northern Illinois April 8-29; Central Illinois April 8-15; Southern Illinois April 1-8. The page also says southern Illinois can generally start crops two weeks earlier than central Illinois and northern Illinois about two weeks later; the crop rows below are the chart dates, not a recalculation of that sentence.

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