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 35611
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 35611 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Athens, AL, is 8 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 20 in half of years and after April 7 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 8a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Athens, AL | 8 mi | 689 ft | March 20 | April 7 | November 12 | 8a |
| Decatur, ALDecatur Pryor Field | 12 mi | 592 ft | March 27 | April 10 | November 3 | 8a |
| Belle Mina (2 mi N), AL | 13 mi | 603 ft | March 31 | April 16 | November 1 | 7b |
| Decatur (4 mi SE), AL | 16 mi | 550 ft | March 26 | April 9 | November 7 | – |
| Courtland, AL2 mi WSW | 17 mi | 575 ft | March 28 | April 13 | November 3 | – |
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 Athens
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 19 | April 10 | April 4 | March 17 | November 1 | October 22 |
| 32°F | April 7 | March 29 | March 20 | March 1 | November 12 | November 1 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 26 | March 16 | March 6 | February 13 | November 24 | November 6 |
| 24°F | March 15 | March 1 | February 19 | January 26 | December 10 | November 16 |
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.