USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 61364 — Streator, Illinois
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Streator 3 SE, IL (610 ft), 3 miles south.
Updated
In Streator, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 12 in half of years and has passed by April 25 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 28, as early as October 16 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 199 days (NOAA, Streator 3 SE, IL).
- Last spring frost
- April 12
- First fall frost
- October 28
- Growing season
- 199 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
- December 1
- Last snow
- March 15
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 26.4"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Streator
Half of springs at Streator 3 SE, IL see their last 32°F night by April 12; only one in ten is past it by March 30, and one in ten still has one after April 25. Planting tender crops after April 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 21 20%, and after April 25 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the narrowest of the 158 Illinois stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 28 in half of years, as early as October 16 one year in ten, and holds off past November 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 15, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 199 days in a typical year, longer than at 85% of the 158 Illinois stations; it reaches 218 days one year in ten and falls short of 181 one year in ten. On average 118 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 April 23, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 5 and March 4.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 9 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 3 | May 8 |
| 32°F | Mar 30 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 25 |
| 28°F | Mar 16 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 15 |
| 24°F | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 |
| 20°F | Feb 25 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 9 | Mar 12 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 |
| 16°F | Feb 13 | Feb 23 | Feb 28 | Mar 2 | Mar 4 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 20 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 1 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 |
| 32°F | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 11 |
| 28°F | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 25 |
| 24°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 26 | Nov 30 | Dec 5 |
| 20°F | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 15 |
| 16°F | Nov 20 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 19 | Dec 24 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Streator 3 SE, 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 61364 →Compare Streator with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Ottawa 5SW, IL, 14 miles north of Streator, has a last frost 8 days later (April 20), a first frost 6 days earlier (October 22), a season 16 days shorter.
When it snows in Streator, Illinois
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Streator usually arrives around December 1, and the last of the season around March 15. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Streator 3 SE, IL, 2.9 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 28 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 61364
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 1 – February 15 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 15 – March 1 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 15 – March 29 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 12 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 5 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 14 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 28 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 61364 is 3 miles from Streator 3 SE, IL, which stands at 610 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 61364 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.