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 04468
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 04468 in zone 5a (the coldest night of a typical year: -20 to -15°F).
The nearest station, Old, ME, is 7 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 28 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 5a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Old, MEOld Town (2 mi W) | 7 mi | 127 ft | May 13 | May 28 | September 28 | 5a |
| Orono, ME | 9 mi | 115 ft | May 1 | May 14 | October 6 | – |
| Bangor, MEBangor International Airport | 17 mi | 148 ft | May 4 | May 17 | October 4 | 5a |
| Dover-Foxcroft, MEDover-Foxcroft Wastewater Treatment Plant | 25 mi | 370 ft | May 15 | May 28 | September 28 | 5a |
| Lincoln, MELincoln Sanitary District/Water Treatment Plant | 26 mi | 190 ft | May 4 | May 16 | October 6 | 4b |
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 Old
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) | June 9 | June 2 | May 28 | May 14 | September 18 | September 5 |
| 32°F | May 28 | May 19 | May 13 | April 30 | September 28 | September 16 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 13 | May 4 | April 30 | April 19 | October 11 | September 27 |
| 24°F | April 29 | April 23 | April 18 | April 4 | October 27 | October 9 |
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.