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 19802
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 19802 in zone 7b (the coldest night of a typical year: 5 to 10°F).
The nearest station, Wilmington Porter Research, DE, is 2 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 7 in half of years and after April 24 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 7b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Porter Research, DE | 2 mi | 270 ft | April 7 | April 24 | November 4 | 7b |
| Wilmington, DEWilmington Airport | 7 mi | 79 ft | April 7 | April 21 | November 1 | 7b |
| Marcus Hook, PA | 7 mi | 10 ft | March 30 | April 9 | November 16 | 8a |
| Newark, DENewark Agricultural Farm | 13 mi | 106 ft | April 7 | April 21 | November 2 | – |
| Avondale, PA2 mi N | 16 mi | 400 ft | April 19 | May 3 | October 26 | – |
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 Wilmington Porter Research
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 27 | April 20 | April 6 | October 24 | October 9 |
| 32°F | April 24 | April 13 | April 7 | March 26 | November 4 | October 21 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 10 | April 2 | March 29 | March 13 | November 15 | November 1 |
| 24°F | March 31 | March 24 | March 17 | March 1 | November 28 | November 11 |
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.