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 35601
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 35601 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Decatur (4 mi SE), AL, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur (4 mi SE), AL | 5 mi | 550 ft | March 26 | April 9 | November 7 | – |
| Decatur, ALDecatur Pryor Field | 5 mi | 592 ft | March 27 | April 10 | November 3 | 8a |
| Belle Mina (2 mi N), AL | 9 mi | 603 ft | March 31 | April 16 | November 1 | 7b |
| Athens, AL | 12 mi | 689 ft | March 20 | April 7 | November 12 | 8a |
| Huntsville, ALHuntsville Intnl Airport | 13 mi | 624 ft | March 24 | April 8 | November 8 | 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 Decatur (4 mi SE)
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 22 | April 11 | April 5 | March 21 | October 29 | October 16 |
| 32°F | April 9 | April 1 | March 26 | March 5 | November 7 | October 26 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 30 | March 19 | March 12 | February 21 | November 19 | November 4 |
| 24°F | March 18 | March 6 | February 26 | February 4 | December 3 | November 12 |
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.