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 35968
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 35968 in zone 8a (the coldest night of a typical year: 10 to 15°F).
The nearest station, Fort Payne, AL, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 29 in half of years and after April 16 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Payne, AL | 5 mi | 917 ft | March 29 | April 16 | November 8 | – |
| Valley Head, AL1 mi SSW | 12 mi | 1,020 ft | April 7 | April 25 | October 30 | – |
| Valley Head station, AL | 12 mi | 1,121 ft | April 8 | April 24 | October 29 | – |
| Gadsden (19 mi N), AL | 16 mi | 1,152 ft | April 1 | April 20 | October 31 | 8a |
| Sand Mount Substn, AL | 16 mi | 1,190 ft | March 31 | April 16 | November 3 | 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 Fort Payne
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 26 | April 17 | April 10 | March 24 | October 31 | October 19 |
| 32°F | April 16 | April 5 | March 29 | March 7 | November 8 | October 26 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 5 | March 23 | March 14 | February 18 | November 20 | November 4 |
| 24°F | March 19 | March 6 | February 25 | January 28 | December 5 | November 15 |
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.