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 02717
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 02717 in zone 7a (the coldest night of a typical year: 0 to 5°F).
The nearest station, Rochester, MA, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 23 in half of years and after May 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester, MA | 4 mi | 65 ft | April 23 | May 7 | October 21 | 7a |
| New Bedford, MANew Bedford Municipal Airport | 6 mi | 80 ft | April 29 | May 15 | October 15 | 7a |
| Taunton, MATaunton Municipal Airport | 8 mi | 43 ft | May 2 | May 16 | October 8 | 6b |
| Middleboro, MA | 9 mi | 45 ft | April 23 | May 6 | October 16 | – |
| Taunton station, MA | 11 mi | 20 ft | April 22 | May 6 | October 19 | – |
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 Rochester
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 20 | May 11 | May 5 | April 24 | October 9 | September 27 |
| 32°F | May 7 | April 29 | April 23 | April 10 | October 21 | October 6 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 23 | April 15 | April 9 | March 30 | November 3 | October 19 |
| 24°F | April 8 | April 2 | March 30 | March 14 | November 18 | November 4 |
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.