USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 62208 — Fairview Heights, Illinois
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Cahokia St Louis Airport, IL (413 ft), 9 miles west.
Updated
In Fairview Heights, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 8 in half of years and has passed by April 23 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 26, as early as October 12 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 200 days (NOAA, Cahokia St Louis Airport, IL).
- Last spring frost
- April 8
- First fall frost
- October 26
- Growing season
- 200 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 14
- Last snow
- February 27
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 11.2"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
22 of 22 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Fairview Heights
Half of springs at Cahokia St Louis Airport, IL see their last 32°F night by April 8; only one in ten is past it by March 23, and one in ten still has one after April 23. Planting tender crops after April 14 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 18 20%, and after April 23 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 26 in half of years, as early as October 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 7 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 12, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 200 days in a typical year, longer than at 87% of the 158 Illinois stations; it reaches 221 days one year in ten and falls short of 180 one year in ten. On average 98 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 19, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 14 and February 24.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 4 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 | May 4 |
| 32°F | Mar 23 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 23 |
| 28°F | Mar 10 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 7 | Apr 12 |
| 24°F | Feb 26 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 |
| 20°F | Feb 12 | Feb 20 | Feb 26 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 |
| 16°F | Jan 31 | Feb 6 | Feb 13 | Feb 18 | Feb 24 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 13 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 3 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 12 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 |
| 28°F | Oct 24 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 24 |
| 24°F | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 |
| 20°F | Nov 12 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 13 | Dec 20 |
| 16°F | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 19 | Dec 23 | Dec 27 | Jan 3 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Cahokia St Louis Airport, 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 62208 →Compare Fairview Heights with another place →
Weather by month in Fairview Heights
July is the warmest month at Cahokia St Louis Airport, IL, averaging 89°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 40°F and 24°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 72% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,263 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 95% of the 158 Illinois stations. 38% of them (1,615) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 896. Precipitation totals 41.0 inches a year, most in May (4.8") and least in February (2.0"); May to September bring 49% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 24 | 2.5 | 100% | 25 | 7 |
| Feb | 46 | 28 | 2.0 | 100% | 21 | 17 |
| Mar | 56 | 36 | 3.3 | 99% | 12 | 83 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 4.5 | 72% | 3 | 237 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 4.8 | 2% | 0 | 516 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.4 | 0% | 0 | 756 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 3.7 | 0% | 0 | 896 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.7 | 0% | 0 | 835 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.4 | 1% | 0 | 568 |
| Oct | 69 | 46 | 3.1 | 71% | 3 | 271 |
| Nov | 55 | 36 | 3.3 | 100% | 13 | 65 |
| Dec | 44 | 29 | 2.3 | 100% | 22 | 13 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Cahokia St Louis Airport, IL (413 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, Belleville Siu Rsch, IL, 10 miles southeast of Fairview Heights, has a last frost 4 days later (April 12), a first frost 6 days earlier (October 20), a season 11 days shorter.
When it snows in Fairview Heights, Illinois
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Fairview Heights usually arrives around December 14, and the last of the season around February 27. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Belleville Siu Rsch, IL, 9.9 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 40 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 62208
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 28 – February 11 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 11 – February 25 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 11 – March 25 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 8 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 3 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 12 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 26 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 62208 is 9 miles from Cahokia St Louis Airport, IL, which stands at 413 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 10 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 62234 (Collinsville). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 62208 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°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.