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 27502
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 27502 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, New Hill, NC, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 6 in half of years and after April 21 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hill, NC | 3 mi | 320 ft | April 6 | April 21 | November 3 | – |
| Apex, NC | 4 mi | 450 ft | March 27 | April 10 | November 8 | 8a |
| Chatham Water Treatment Plant, NC | 5 mi | 308 ft | April 1 | April 23 | November 7 | – |
| Cary, NC | 7 mi | 390 ft | March 31 | April 12 | November 10 | 8a |
| Raleigh (4 mi SW), NC | 13 mi | 420 ft | March 28 | April 12 | 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 New Hill
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 4 | April 25 | April 19 | April 4 | October 26 | October 16 |
| 32°F | April 21 | April 13 | April 6 | March 21 | November 3 | October 23 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 13 | April 2 | March 28 | March 10 | November 13 | November 1 |
| 24°F | April 1 | March 22 | March 15 | February 23 | November 25 | November 8 |
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.