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 35903
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 35903 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Gadsden, AL, is 8 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 19 in half of years and after April 7 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gadsden, AL | 8 mi | 565 ft | March 19 | April 7 | November 13 | – |
| Centre, AL | 13 mi | 600 ft | April 6 | April 22 | October 31 | – |
| Gadsden (19 mi N), AL | 19 mi | 1,152 ft | April 1 | April 20 | October 31 | 8a |
| Sand Mount Substn, AL | 19 mi | 1,190 ft | March 31 | April 16 | November 3 | 8a |
| Fort Payne, AL | 29 mi | 917 ft | March 29 | April 16 | November 8 | – |
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 Gadsden
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 21 | April 9 | April 1 | March 16 | November 3 | October 22 |
| 32°F | April 7 | March 27 | March 19 | February 27 | November 13 | November 1 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 24 | March 13 | March 4 | February 11 | November 27 | November 9 |
| 24°F | March 15 | February 28 | February 17 | January 21 | December 13 | November 18 |
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.