USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 60020 — Fox Lake, Illinois
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lake Villa 2NE, IL (840 ft), 6 miles east.
Updated
In Fox Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 24 in half of years and has passed by May 9 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 23, as early as October 8 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 180 days (NOAA, Lake Villa 2NE, IL).
- Last spring frost
- April 24
- First fall frost
- October 23
- Growing season
- 180 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 16
- Last snow
- April 4
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 43.4"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
15 of 15 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Fox Lake
Half of springs at Lake Villa 2NE, IL see their last 32°F night by April 24; only one in ten is past it by April 11, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 4 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 54% of the 158 Illinois stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 23 in half of years, as early as October 8 one year in ten, and holds off past November 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 28, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 180 days in a typical year, shorter than at 60% of the 158 Illinois stations; it reaches 200 days one year in ten and falls short of 159 one year in ten. On average 132 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 11 days longer, to about May 5, and return around October 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and March 13.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 7 | May 11 | May 15 | May 21 |
| 32°F | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 9 |
| 28°F | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 28 |
| 24°F | Mar 17 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 16 |
| 20°F | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 |
| 16°F | Feb 25 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 28 | Oct 2 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 |
| 32°F | Oct 8 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 4 |
| 28°F | Oct 20 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 |
| 24°F | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 15 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 |
| 20°F | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 |
| 16°F | Nov 12 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 17 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lake Villa 2NE, IL, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 60020 →Compare Fox Lake with another place →
Weather by month in Fox Lake
July is the warmest month at Lake Villa 2NE, IL, averaging 82°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 30°F and 15°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 27% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 2,852 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 91% of the 158 Illinois stations. 32% of them (908) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 703. Precipitation totals 37.7 inches a year, most in May (4.4") and least in February (1.9"); May to September bring 51% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 15 | 2.1 | 100% | 29 | 0 |
| Feb | 34 | 18 | 1.9 | 100% | 25 | 1 |
| Mar | 45 | 27 | 2.6 | 100% | 23 | 15 |
| Apr | 57 | 37 | 4.1 | 99% | 8 | 72 |
| May | 69 | 48 | 4.4 | 27% | 1 | 276 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 4.2 | 0% | 0 | 544 |
| Jul | 82 | 63 | 3.9 | 0% | 0 | 703 |
| Aug | 81 | 62 | 3.3 | 0% | 0 | 657 |
| Sep | 73 | 54 | 3.4 | 2% | <1 | 421 |
| Oct | 60 | 43 | 3.0 | 81% | 3 | 141 |
| Nov | 47 | 31 | 2.5 | 100% | 16 | 20 |
| Dec | 35 | 21 | 2.3 | 100% | 28 | 2 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Lake Villa 2NE, IL (840 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Antioch, IL, 6 miles northeast of Fox Lake, has a last frost 1 day earlier (April 23), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 21), a season 1 day shorter.
When it snows in Fox Lake, Illinois
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Fox Lake usually arrives around November 16, and the last of the season around April 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lake Villa 2NE, IL, 6.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 20 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 60020
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 13 – February 27 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 27 – March 13 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 27 – April 10 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 24 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 31 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 9 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 23 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 60020 is 6 miles from Lake Villa 2NE, IL, which stands at 840 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 3 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 60073 (Round Lake Beach). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 60020 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.