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 02888
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 02888 in zone 7a (the coldest night of a typical year: 0 to 5°F).
The nearest station, Providence, RI, is 2 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 11 in half of years and after April 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Providence, RIRhode Island T.f. Green International Airport | 2 mi | 60 ft | April 11 | April 23 | October 30 | 7a |
| Coventry 2, RI | 9 mi | 280 ft | April 22 | May 4 | October 20 | – |
| Tiverton, RI | 13 mi | 90 ft | April 11 | April 22 | November 2 | 7a |
| Newport, RINewport State Airport | 16 mi | 172 ft | April 11 | April 24 | November 4 | 7a |
| Woonsocket, RI | 17 mi | 110 ft | April 22 | May 6 | October 19 | 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 Providence
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 7 | April 30 | April 26 | April 14 | October 18 | October 5 |
| 32°F | April 23 | April 17 | April 11 | April 1 | October 30 | October 16 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 11 | April 4 | April 1 | March 18 | November 9 | October 29 |
| 24°F | April 3 | March 28 | March 21 | March 7 | November 22 | November 8 |
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.