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 40272
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 40272 in zone 7a (the coldest night of a typical year: 0 to 5°F).
The nearest station, Louisville, KY, is 9 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 31 in half of years and after April 16 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 7a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville, KYLouisville International Airport | 9 mi | 488 ft | March 31 | April 16 | November 7 | 7a |
| Louisville Weather Office, KY | 12 mi | 632 ft | April 6 | April 23 | November 1 | – |
| Louisville McAlpine, KY | 14 mi | 440 ft | March 31 | April 14 | November 9 | – |
| Louisville Bowman Field, KY | 15 mi | 540 ft | April 3 | April 19 | November 3 | 7b |
| Bernheim Forest, KY | 15 mi | 550 ft | April 18 | May 6 | October 25 | – |
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 Louisville
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 28 | April 18 | April 11 | March 29 | October 29 | October 16 |
| 32°F | April 16 | April 4 | March 31 | March 14 | November 7 | October 28 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 3 | March 27 | March 20 | March 1 | November 17 | November 4 |
| 24°F | March 27 | March 17 | March 10 | February 16 | December 1 | November 11 |
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.