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 28117
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 28117 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Catawba, NC, is 14 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 24 in half of years and after April 9 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba, NC5 mi SW | 14 mi | 1,015 ft | March 24 | April 9 | November 8 | – |
| Statesville, NC2 mi NNE | 16 mi | 803 ft | April 16 | May 1 | October 25 | 7b |
| Salisbury (9 mi WNW), NC | 17 mi | 725 ft | April 9 | April 24 | October 28 | – |
| Concord, NC | 21 mi | 700 ft | April 1 | April 16 | November 2 | 8a |
| Salisbury, NC | 24 mi | 700 ft | April 6 | April 27 | October 30 | 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 Catawba
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 29 | April 13 | April 4 | March 19 | October 30 | October 17 |
| 32°F | April 9 | March 31 | March 24 | March 5 | November 8 | October 27 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 30 | March 20 | March 13 | February 20 | November 20 | November 4 |
| 24°F | March 20 | March 8 | February 28 | February 1 | December 5 | November 14 |
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.