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 27517
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 27517 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Carrboro, NC, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 31 in half of years and after April 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrboro, NCChapel Hill (2 mi W) | 5 mi | 500 ft | March 31 | April 14 | November 3 | 8a |
| Chapel Hill, NCChapel Hill Williams Airport | 7 mi | 512 ft | March 29 | April 12 | November 5 | 8a |
| Chatham Water Treatment Plant, NC | 8 mi | 308 ft | April 1 | April 23 | November 7 | – |
| Durham (11 mi W), NC | 9 mi | 562 ft | March 31 | April 19 | November 4 | – |
| New Hill, NC | 13 mi | 320 ft | April 6 | April 21 | November 3 | – |
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 Carrboro
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 30 | April 20 | April 14 | March 31 | October 26 | October 14 |
| 32°F | April 14 | April 5 | March 31 | March 16 | November 3 | October 23 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 1 | March 26 | March 19 | March 1 | November 14 | November 1 |
| 24°F | March 24 | March 13 | March 4 | February 9 | December 1 | 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.