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 23462
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 23462 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, Norfolk S, VA, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 23 in half of years and after April 6 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 8b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk S, VA | 5 mi | 10 ft | March 23 | April 6 | November 16 | 8b |
| Norfolk, VANorfolk International Airport | 5 mi | 30 ft | March 17 | March 31 | November 23 | 8b |
| Virginia Beach, VAOceana Naval Air Station | 6 mi | 23 ft | March 29 | April 11 | November 12 | 8a |
| Chesapeake, VAFentress Naas | 10 mi | 16 ft | March 23 | April 7 | November 18 | – |
| Norfolk Naval Air Station, VA | 11 mi | 17 ft | March 16 | April 1 | November 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 Norfolk S
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 18 | April 10 | April 5 | March 22 | November 6 | October 27 |
| 32°F | April 6 | March 30 | March 23 | March 7 | November 16 | November 4 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 26 | March 17 | March 10 | February 19 | December 1 | November 14 |
| 24°F | March 13 | March 3 | February 24 | January 30 | December 22 | December 1 |
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.