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 37862
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 37862 in zone 7b (the coldest night of a typical year: 5 to 10°F).
The nearest station, Gatlinburg, TN, is 8 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 17 in half of years and after May 2 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 7b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gatlinburg, TN2 mi SW | 8 mi | 1,454 ft | April 17 | May 2 | October 25 | 7b |
| Townsend, TN5 mi S | 11 mi | 1,893 ft | April 20 | May 10 | October 22 | 7a |
| Sevierville, TN | 14 mi | 899 ft | April 6 | April 21 | October 29 | 7b |
| Mount Leconte, TN | 14 mi | 6,493 ft | May 22 | June 11 | October 1 | 5b |
| Newfound Gap, TN | 16 mi | 5,040 ft | May 3 | May 17 | October 15 | 6a |
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 Gatlinburg
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) | May 17 | May 6 | April 30 | April 14 | October 16 | October 4 |
| 32°F | May 2 | April 23 | April 17 | March 31 | October 25 | October 12 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 21 | April 10 | April 2 | March 15 | November 4 | October 22 |
| 24°F | April 8 | March 29 | March 21 | February 27 | November 17 | November 2 |
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.