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 27040
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 27040 in zone 7b (the coldest night of a typical year: 5 to 10°F).
The nearest station, Pfafftown, NC, is 2 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 9 in half of years and after April 23 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pfafftown, NC | 2 mi | 950 ft | April 9 | April 23 | October 31 | – |
| Rural Hall, NC | 7 mi | 960 ft | April 6 | April 21 | October 31 | – |
| Yadkinville, NC6 mi E | 9 mi | 875 ft | April 16 | May 3 | October 25 | 7b |
| Winston-Salem, NCWinston Salem Rynlds Airport | 10 mi | 970 ft | March 26 | April 11 | November 9 | 8a |
| Danbury, NC | 22 mi | 1,019 ft | April 11 | April 29 | October 30 | 7b |
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 Pfafftown
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 8 | April 27 | April 21 | April 8 | October 23 | October 11 |
| 32°F | April 23 | April 15 | April 9 | March 25 | October 31 | October 20 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 12 | April 3 | March 28 | March 12 | November 8 | October 28 |
| 24°F | April 2 | March 25 | March 18 | February 28 | November 18 | November 4 |
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.