Sterling, IL Weather & Growing Conditions
Local forecast, frost dates, hardiness zone and planting guidance for Sterling, a city in Whiteside County, Illinois.
Overnight
64°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
A chance of showers and thunderstorms between 1am and 4am, then patchy fog and showers and thunderstorms likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 64. East wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
7-day forecast for Sterling
| When | Temp | Forecast | Wind | Precip |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overnight | 64°F | Chance Showers And Thunderstorms | 5 to 10 mph E | 55% |
| Saturday | 80°F | Patchy Fog | 5 to 10 mph SE | 92% |
| Saturday Night | 63°F | Showers And Thunderstorms | 5 to 10 mph NW | 89% |
| Sunday | 70°F | Rain Showers Likely | 10 to 15 mph NE | 67% |
| Sunday Night | 55°F | Chance Rain Showers | 15 mph NE | 39% |
| Monday | 66°F | Chance Rain Showers | 15 mph NE | 50% |
| Monday Night | 50°F | Chance Rain Showers | 10 to 15 mph NE | 33% |
| Tuesday | 64°F | Slight Chance Rain Showers then Partly Sunny | 10 to 15 mph NE | 18% |
| Tuesday Night | 48°F | Partly Cloudy | 5 to 15 mph NE | 9% |
| Wednesday | 68°F | Mostly Sunny | 10 mph NE | 1% |
| Wednesday Night | 50°F | Partly Cloudy | 5 to 10 mph NE | 1% |
| Thursday | 69°F | Mostly Sunny | 5 mph NE | 5% |
| Thursday Night | 51°F | Partly Cloudy | 0 to 5 mph NE | 5% |
| Friday | 72°F | Mostly Sunny | 5 mph NE | 3% |
Forecast source: National Weather Service (api.weather.gov) for Sterling (41.800, -89.696). Updated through the day.
Growing snapshot for Sterling
Last spring frost
Apr 26
First fall frost
Oct 13
Growing season
167 days
Hardiness zone
5b
More local growing data for Sterling: nearby ZIP 61037 weather · frost dates · planting calendar · Illinois frost dates
Nearby towns & communities
Climate data from the nearest NOAA station, Morrison, Il (10.7 mi from Sterling). Frost dates are 1991–2020 averages, not a forecast. Page updated Sep 19, 2026.