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 35671
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 35671 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Decatur, AL, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 27 in half of years and after April 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decatur, ALDecatur Pryor Field | 1 mi | 592 ft | March 27 | April 10 | November 3 | 8a |
| Belle Mina (2 mi N), AL | 4 mi | 603 ft | March 31 | April 16 | November 1 | 7b |
| Decatur (4 mi SE), AL | 7 mi | 550 ft | March 26 | April 9 | November 7 | – |
| Athens, AL | 7 mi | 689 ft | March 20 | April 7 | November 12 | 8a |
| Huntsville, ALHuntsville Intnl Airport | 9 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
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 20 | April 11 | April 5 | March 22 | October 25 | October 13 |
| 32°F | April 10 | April 2 | March 27 | March 8 | November 3 | October 22 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 1 | March 22 | March 14 | February 23 | November 15 | November 1 |
| 24°F | March 21 | March 8 | February 28 | February 3 | November 29 | November 8 |
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.