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 27801
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 27801 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE), NC, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 31 in half of years and after April 13 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE), NC | 3 mi | 110 ft | March 31 | April 13 | November 7 | – |
| Rocky Mount, NCRocky Mount Wilson Airport | 10 mi | 160 ft | April 1 | April 16 | November 5 | 8a |
| Tarboro, NC1 mi S | 11 mi | 35 ft | March 30 | April 10 | November 9 | 8a |
| Wilson, NC3 mi SW | 20 mi | 110 ft | March 22 | April 8 | November 12 | 8a |
| Greenville, NC | 26 mi | 32 ft | March 27 | April 10 | November 8 | 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 Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE)
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 21 | April 14 | April 9 | March 26 | October 31 | October 16 |
| 32°F | April 13 | April 4 | March 31 | March 10 | November 7 | October 26 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 4 | March 26 | March 18 | February 26 | November 17 | November 3 |
| 24°F | March 23 | March 12 | March 2 | February 9 | 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.