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 27518
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 27518 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Cary, NC, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 31 in half of years and after April 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cary, NC | 1 mi | 390 ft | March 31 | April 12 | November 10 | 8a |
| Apex, NC | 4 mi | 450 ft | March 27 | April 10 | November 8 | 8a |
| Raleigh (4 mi SW), NC | 5 mi | 420 ft | March 28 | April 12 | November 9 | 8a |
| Raleigh State University, NC | 6 mi | 400 ft | March 28 | April 12 | November 8 | 8a |
| Garner, NC | 8 mi | 330 ft | April 1 | April 15 | November 1 | – |
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 Cary
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 23 | April 16 | April 10 | March 26 | October 31 | October 18 |
| 32°F | April 12 | April 4 | March 31 | March 12 | November 10 | October 30 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 2 | March 25 | March 17 | February 27 | November 24 | November 7 |
| 24°F | March 21 | March 11 | March 1 | February 3 | December 10 | November 19 |
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.