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 27530
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 27530 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Goldsboro Agricultural (1 mi N), NC, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 28 in half of years and after April 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goldsboro Agricultural (1 mi N), NC | 5 mi | 109 ft | March 28 | April 11 | November 12 | 8a |
| Goldsboro, NC4 mi SE | 6 mi | 109 ft | March 15 | April 1 | November 18 | – |
| Mount Olive, NC6 mi SE | 17 mi | 162 ft | March 28 | April 10 | November 7 | – |
| Smithfield, NC | 18 mi | 150 ft | March 29 | April 14 | November 5 | 8a |
| Wilson, NC3 mi SW | 22 mi | 110 ft | March 22 | April 8 | November 12 | 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 Goldsboro Agricultural (1 mi N)
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 20 | April 13 | April 8 | March 25 | November 3 | October 23 |
| 32°F | April 11 | April 3 | March 28 | March 9 | November 12 | November 1 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 2 | March 23 | March 15 | February 20 | November 24 | November 8 |
| 24°F | March 20 | March 8 | February 27 | January 31 | December 11 | November 18 |
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.