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 27701
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 27701 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Durham, NC, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 2 in half of years and after April 18 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durham, NC | 5 mi | 400 ft | April 2 | April 18 | November 4 | – |
| Raleigh, NCRaleigh-Durham International Airport | 10 mi | 416 ft | March 31 | April 16 | November 4 | 8a |
| Chapel Hill, NCChapel Hill Williams Airport | 10 mi | 512 ft | March 29 | April 12 | November 5 | 8a |
| Durham (11 mi W), NC | 11 mi | 562 ft | March 31 | April 19 | November 4 | – |
| Carrboro, NCChapel Hill (2 mi W) | 12 mi | 500 ft | March 31 | April 14 | November 3 | 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 Durham
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 1 | April 21 | April 14 | March 30 | October 27 | October 13 |
| 32°F | April 18 | April 9 | April 2 | March 15 | November 4 | October 24 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 6 | March 27 | March 19 | February 28 | November 16 | November 2 |
| 24°F | March 24 | March 12 | March 4 | February 11 | December 1 | November 12 |
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.