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 02143
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 02143 in zone 7a (the coldest night of a typical year: 0 to 5°F).
The nearest station, Boston, MA, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 4 in half of years and after April 17 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 7a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston, MABoston Logan International Airport | 5 mi | 12 ft | April 4 | April 17 | November 9 | 7a |
| Jamaica Plain, MA | 6 mi | 95 ft | April 19 | May 3 | October 23 | 6b |
| Reading, MA | 10 mi | 110 ft | April 25 | May 8 | October 17 | 6b |
| Bedford Hanscom Field, MA | 12 mi | 133 ft | April 28 | May 12 | October 10 | 6a |
| Blue Hill, MA | 12 mi | 625 ft | April 19 | May 1 | October 24 | 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 Boston
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 1 | April 22 | April 17 | April 6 | October 29 | October 15 |
| 32°F | April 17 | April 8 | April 4 | March 25 | November 9 | October 29 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 6 | April 1 | March 28 | March 15 | November 21 | November 8 |
| 24°F | April 1 | March 24 | March 19 | March 6 | December 1 | November 16 |
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.