Frost dates by ZIP code: The nearest NOAA stations to your ZIP, 1991-2020 normals
Enter a five-digit ZIP code. PlainClimate finds its center (Census Bureau 2024) and the five nearest NOAA stations with frost dates, and shows each station's last spring and first autumn 32°F dates with its distance and elevation.
Frost dates near ZIP 01003
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 01003 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Amherst, MA, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after May 5 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 6a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst, MA | 1 mi | 145 ft | May 5 | May 19 | October 8 | 6a |
| Leverett #2, MA | 4 mi | 315 ft | May 2 | May 16 | October 9 | – |
| Belchertown, MA | 12 mi | 550 ft | May 3 | May 16 | October 14 | – |
| Greenfield, MAGreenfield #3 | 13 mi | 130 ft | May 1 | May 15 | October 11 | 6a |
| Orange, MAOrange Municipal Airport | 17 mi | 555 ft | May 4 | May 17 | October 8 | 5b |
Frost comes later in spring at higher and colder stations and earlier in low, open ground: prefer a station at a similar elevation to yours. Hardiness zone in the table: the USDA's rule (the average of each year's coldest night, 1991-2020) applied to the station's own record.
Every frost threshold at Amherst
NOAA publishes the dates for several temperatures and odds. A 30% spring date means a 3-in-10 chance of a later frost (the convention almanacs use); 50% is the median; 10% the cautious date.
| Threshold | Spring, 10% | Spring, 30% | Spring, 50% | Spring, 90% | Autumn, 50% | Autumn, 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F (light frost) | May 30 | May 22 | May 17 | May 3 | September 30 | September 17 |
| 32°F | May 19 | May 11 | May 5 | April 23 | October 8 | September 28 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 7 | April 30 | April 23 | April 9 | October 21 | October 6 |
| 24°F | April 23 | April 14 | April 7 | March 28 | November 1 | October 17 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals; ZIP centers: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. Autumn 10%: one year in ten has its first frost before this date.