Frost Dates for 60957 — Paxton, Illinois

Half of springs at Paxton 2 WSW, IL see their last 32°F night by April 23; only one in ten is past it by April 9, 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 3 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 22% of the 158 Illinois stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 12 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 29, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 170 days in a typical year, shorter than at 87% of the 158 Illinois stations; it reaches 190 days one year in ten and falls short of 149 one year in ten. On average 133 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 10 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 26 and March 12.

July is the warmest month at Paxton 2 WSW, IL, averaging 84°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 32°F and 15°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August 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 3,232 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 69% of the 158 Illinois stations. 36% of them (1,172) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 721. Precipitation totals 37.9 inches a year, most in May (4.5") and least in February (1.9"); May to September bring 51% of it.

The nearest other station, Rantoul, IL, 10 miles south of Paxton, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 21), a first frost 6 days later (October 18), a season 9 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Paxton usually arrives around December 3, and the last of the season around March 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Paxton 2 WSW, IL, 1.5 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 45 days after the last snow.

ZIP 60957 is 2 miles from Paxton 2 WSW, IL, which stands at 758 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 60957 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.