2025 First Frost Dates for Indiana, Kentucky & Illinois

I am, by no means, ready for fall yet, but after the sizzling summer we’ve had, the idea of cool air and cozy evenings is kind of appealing. After all, fall has some perks, especially if you're a fan of high school football, sweatshirts, and pumpkin-flavored everything.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac – using NOAA data and historical patterns – provides estimated dates for the first fall frost, which is when air temperatures dip to around 32 °F (0 °C). Now, frost near the ground can happen even when the air thermometer reads slightly above freezing. That means your tomatoes, peppers, and basil might face the chill sooner than you expect!

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Let's turn to the Old Farmer's Almanac for the answer. You might be surprised to know that the answer is different depending on where you live, so here are several dates to keep in mind.

First Frost Dates for Indiana

Evansville, IN - November 4, 2025
Mt. Vernon, IN - October 21, 2025
Newburgh, IN - October 30, 2025
Boonville, IN - October 21, 2025
Jasper, IN - October 18, 2025
Indianapolis, IN - October 16, 2025

First Frost Dates for Kentucky

Henderson, KY - October 20, 2025
Owensboro, KY - October 27, 2025
Louisville, KY - November 5, 2025
Lexington, KY - October 23, 2025

First Frost Dates for Illinois

Carbondale, IL - October 18, 2025
Harrisburg, IL - October 21, 2025
Carmi, IL - October 12, 2025
Chicago, IL - November 1, 2025

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To the Handy Dandy Frost Calculator Thingy!

You'll notice that there are a bunch of cities not listed above. I wanted to focus on the cities that folks here in the Tri-State area might be interested in. If you're curious about frost dates for other cities, it's super-easy to find out for yourself with the help of this handy-dandy frost calculator thingy. Just enter the city and state or zip code you're curious about, and you'll be able to find out what you want to know.

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Gallery Credit: Kat Mykals