Frost Dates for 62353 — Mt Sterling, Illinois

Half of springs at Perry 6 NW, IL see their last 32°F night by April 18; only one in ten is past it by April 4, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 25 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 29 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 79% of the 158 Illinois stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 15 in half of years, as early as September 30 one year in ten, and holds off past October 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 27; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 24, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 179 days in a typical year, shorter than at 65% of the 158 Illinois stations; it reaches 200 days one year in ten and falls short of 157 one year in ten. On average 126 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 April 28, and return around October 5. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and March 7.

July is the warmest month at Perry 6 NW, IL, averaging 87°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 37°F and 18°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 16% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,727 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 70% of the 158 Illinois stations. 37% of them (1,374) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 812. Precipitation totals 39.2 inches a year, most in June (4.8") and least in January (2.0"); May to September bring 52% of it.

The nearest other station, Rushville, IL, 14 miles northeast of Mt Sterling, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 16), a first frost 8 days later (October 23), a season 10 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Mt Sterling usually arrives around December 7, and the last of the season around March 1. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Mt Sterling, IL, 0.6 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 48 days after the last snow.

ZIP 62353 is 13 miles from Perry 6 NW, IL, which stands at 650 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 62353 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.