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 02746
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 02746 in zone 7a (the coldest night of a typical year: 0 to 5°F).
The nearest station, New Bedford, MA, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 29 in half of years and after May 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Bedford, MANew Bedford Municipal Airport | 1 mi | 80 ft | April 29 | May 15 | October 15 | 7a |
| New Bedford Cooperative, MA | 5 mi | 18 ft | April 11 | April 22 | November 5 | – |
| Rochester, MA | 9 mi | 65 ft | April 23 | May 7 | October 21 | 7a |
| Tiverton, RI | 14 mi | 90 ft | April 11 | April 22 | November 2 | 7a |
| Taunton, MATaunton Municipal Airport | 15 mi | 43 ft | May 2 | May 16 | October 8 | 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 New Bedford
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 27 | May 18 | May 12 | April 28 | October 3 | September 22 |
| 32°F | May 15 | May 5 | April 29 | April 17 | October 15 | October 2 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 30 | April 21 | April 15 | March 31 | October 28 | October 12 |
| 24°F | April 16 | April 6 | April 1 | March 15 | November 8 | October 25 |
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.