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 23436
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 23436 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, Suffolk, VA, is 12 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 27 in half of years and after April 9 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 8a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk, VASuffolk Lake Kilby | 12 mi | 22 ft | March 27 | April 9 | November 15 | 8a |
| Norfolk Naval Air Station, VA | 13 mi | 17 ft | March 16 | April 1 | November 26 | – |
| Norfolk S, VA | 15 mi | 10 ft | March 23 | April 6 | November 16 | 8b |
| Hampton, VALangley Air Force Base | 16 mi | 10 ft | March 24 | April 6 | November 15 | – |
| Newport News, VANewport News International Airport | 16 mi | 42 ft | April 1 | April 18 | November 9 | 8a |
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 Suffolk
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) | April 20 | April 12 | April 6 | March 23 | November 3 | October 23 |
| 32°F | April 9 | April 1 | March 27 | March 10 | November 15 | November 2 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 30 | March 21 | March 15 | February 24 | December 1 | November 11 |
| 24°F | March 19 | March 10 | February 28 | February 2 | December 18 | November 28 |
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.