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 01701
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 01701 in zone 6b (the coldest night of a typical year: -5 to 0°F).
The nearest station, Natick, MA, is 6 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 9 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natick, MA | 6 mi | 180 ft | April 26 | May 9 | October 12 | – |
| Maynard, MAMaynard 2 | 8 mi | 205 ft | May 2 | May 16 | October 6 | 6b |
| West Medway, MA | 13 mi | 210 ft | April 30 | May 14 | October 9 | – |
| Bedford Hanscom Field, MA | 13 mi | 133 ft | April 28 | May 12 | October 10 | 6a |
| Bedford, MA | 14 mi | 160 ft | April 27 | May 11 | October 13 | 6b |
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 Natick
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 19 | May 12 | May 7 | April 26 | October 4 | September 26 |
| 32°F | May 9 | May 1 | April 26 | April 14 | October 12 | October 1 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 24 | April 18 | April 13 | April 2 | October 24 | October 10 |
| 24°F | April 14 | April 5 | April 2 | March 20 | November 3 | October 20 |
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.