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 27803
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 27803 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Rocky Mount, NC, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 1 in half of years and after April 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mount, NCRocky Mount Wilson Airport | 4 mi | 160 ft | April 1 | April 16 | November 5 | 8a |
| Rocky Mount (8 mi ESE), NC | 9 mi | 110 ft | March 31 | April 13 | November 7 | – |
| Wilson, NC3 mi SW | 15 mi | 110 ft | March 22 | April 8 | November 12 | 8a |
| Tarboro, NC1 mi S | 17 mi | 35 ft | March 30 | April 10 | November 9 | 8a |
| Arcola, NC | 29 mi | 330 ft | April 3 | April 19 | November 5 | 7b |
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
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 19 | April 13 | March 30 | October 28 | October 16 |
| 32°F | April 16 | April 7 | April 1 | March 16 | November 5 | October 25 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 6 | March 29 | March 21 | March 1 | November 16 | November 1 |
| 24°F | March 25 | March 15 | March 6 | February 10 | 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.