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 29209
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 29209 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, Columbia Owens Downtown Airport, SC, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 13 in half of years and after March 31 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 Owens Downtown Airport, SC | 4 mi | 212 ft | March 13 | March 31 | November 19 | 8b |
| Columbia University Of Sc, SC | 6 mi | 223 ft | March 16 | April 3 | November 16 | 8b |
| Columbia, SCColumbia Metropolitan Airport | 10 mi | 231 ft | March 25 | April 10 | November 7 | 8b |
| Sandhill Research - Elgin, SC | 15 mi | 440 ft | March 22 | April 10 | November 15 | 8b |
| N (5 mi NE), SC | 19 mi | 322 ft | March 26 | April 11 | November 6 | – |
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 Owens Downtown Airport
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 10 | April 2 | March 27 | March 8 | November 8 | October 28 |
| 32°F | March 31 | March 21 | March 13 | February 21 | November 19 | November 5 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 18 | March 4 | February 24 | January 28 | December 4 | November 15 |
| 24°F | March 3 | February 13 | February 2 | January 3 | December 30 | 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.