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 29204
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 29204 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, Columbia University Of Sc, SC, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 16 in half of years and after April 3 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 8b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University Of Sc, SC | 3 mi | 223 ft | March 16 | April 3 | November 16 | 8b |
| Columbia Owens Downtown Airport, SC | 4 mi | 212 ft | March 13 | March 31 | November 19 | 8b |
| Columbia, SCColumbia Metropolitan Airport | 9 mi | 231 ft | March 25 | April 10 | November 7 | 8b |
| Sandhill Research - Elgin, SC | 10 mi | 440 ft | March 22 | April 10 | November 15 | 8b |
| Cedar Creek (2 mi E), SC | 14 mi | 338 ft | April 10 | April 23 | October 28 | 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 Columbia University Of Sc
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 13 | April 4 | March 28 | March 11 | November 5 | October 24 |
| 32°F | April 3 | March 24 | March 16 | February 24 | November 16 | November 2 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 23 | March 11 | March 1 | January 31 | December 2 | November 12 |
| 24°F | March 11 | February 25 | February 11 | January 11 | December 26 | November 29 |
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.