COLD! Illinois First Freeze Forecast to Happen in the Next 7 Days

There are two days that we prepare for every fall here in northern Illinois. The first day when the temperature drops below 32 degrees, and the first day we get snow.

First Low Temperature Drops to Freezing Mark

One of those days is coming within the next week, according to the latest forecast from the Weather Channel.

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While it still may be a couple of months before we get any significant snowfall, temperatures are forecast to start dropping below the freezing mark within the next week, and that's about average.

When Do We Normally Get Below 32 Degrees?

According to the National Weather Service, the normal first freeze in the Rockford region happens on October 8, and it was in 2016 when we had a record for the latest first autumn freeze that didn't happen until November 11.

The 2024 Farmers Almanac predicted the first freeze in the Rockford region would happen on October 12, and it's not far off from what the Weather Channel is forecasting on October 14.

The current forecast for Rockford from the Weather Channel has the low temperature dropping to 37 degrees on Sunday, October 13, and a low hitting 32 degrees on Monday, October 14.

Will Illinois Have a 'Hard Freeze' In the Next 7 Days

We're not expected to have a "hard freeze" since one night is forecast to hit the freezing mark, and then it's expected to warm up again with low temperatures back into the mid-40s by Wednesday, October 16.

It's only considered a "hard freeze" when the low temperature drops to at least 28 degrees and stays there for several days, according to the Houston Chronicle.

We'll still have some unseasonably warm days coming before we hit the freezing mark, with the National Weather Service forecasting high temperatures in the middle-80s by this Friday (10/11), but just 3 days later on Columbus Day Monday (10/14), the high is barely going to reach 60.