USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 62865 — Mulkeytown, Illinois
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Rend Lake Dam, IL (455 ft), 7 miles northeast.
Updated
In Mulkeytown, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 4 in half of years and has passed by April 19 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 27, as early as October 16 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 204 days (NOAA, Rend Lake Dam, IL).
- Last spring frost
- April 4
- First fall frost
- October 27
- Growing season
- 204 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 16
- Last snow
- February 25
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 9.8"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
20 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Mulkeytown
Half of springs at Rend Lake Dam, IL see their last 32°F night by April 4; only one in ten is past it by March 21, and one in ten still has one after April 19. Planting tender crops after April 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 14 20%, and after April 19 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 27 in half of years, as early as October 16 one year in ten, and holds off past November 8 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 5; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 9, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 204 days in a typical year, longer than at 94% of the 158 Illinois stations; it reaches 222 days one year in ten and falls short of 185 one year in ten. On average 100 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 15, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 10 and February 27.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Mar 31 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | May 1 |
| 32°F | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 19 |
| 28°F | Mar 10 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 9 |
| 24°F | Feb 28 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 |
| 20°F | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 6 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 |
| 16°F | Feb 8 | Feb 15 | Feb 20 | Feb 24 | Feb 27 | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 15 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 5 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 |
| 32°F | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 8 |
| 28°F | Oct 25 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 23 |
| 24°F | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 |
| 20°F | Nov 9 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 5 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 |
| 16°F | Nov 17 | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 10 | Dec 15 | Dec 20 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Rend Lake Dam, 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 62865 →Compare Mulkeytown with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Du Quoin 4 SE, IL, 7 miles west of Mulkeytown, has a last frost 2 days later (April 6), a first frost 5 days earlier (October 22), a season 5 days shorter.
When it snows in Mulkeytown, Illinois
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Mulkeytown usually arrives around December 16, and the last of the season around February 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Plumfield, IL, 5.7 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 38 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 62865
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| January 24 – February 7 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 7 – February 21 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 7 – March 21 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 4 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 4 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 13 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 27 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 62865 is 7 miles from Rend Lake Dam, IL, which stands at 455 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 62884 (Sesser). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 62865 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.