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 32603
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 32603 in zone 9a (the coldest night of a typical year: 20 to 25°F).
The nearest station, Gainesville, FL, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 3 in half of years and after March 23 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 9a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gainesville, FLGainesville Regional Airport | 5 mi | 123 ft | March 3 | March 23 | December 2 | 9a |
| Gainesville (11 mi WNW), FL | 9 mi | 95 ft | March 4 | March 26 | December 4 | – |
| High Springs, FL | 19 mi | 65 ft | March 13 | April 2 | November 22 | 9a |
| Starke, FL | 24 mi | 150 ft | February 8 | March 8 | December 24 | – |
| Orange Springs (2 mi SSW), FL | 26 mi | 50 ft | March 1 | March 22 | December 7 | – |
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 Gainesville
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 7 | March 26 | March 17 | February 27 | November 19 | November 3 |
| 32°F | March 23 | March 13 | March 3 | February 1 | December 2 | November 12 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 14 | February 27 | February 12 | January 9 | December 25 | November 25 |
| 24°F | February 23 | February 7 | January 27 | December 26 | January 5 | December 6 |
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.