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 45042
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 45042 in zone 6b (the coldest night of a typical year: -5 to 0°F).
The nearest station, Franklin, OH, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 24 in half of years and after May 11 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin, OH | 5 mi | 679 ft | April 24 | May 11 | October 19 | – |
| Dayton Wright Bros Airport, OH | 11 mi | 962 ft | April 17 | May 6 | October 26 | 6b |
| Hamilton, OHHamilton Butler County Regional Airport | 14 mi | 634 ft | April 22 | May 10 | October 18 | 6a |
| Eaton, OH | 17 mi | 1,002 ft | April 25 | May 10 | October 20 | 6a |
| Fairfield, OH | 17 mi | 575 ft | April 19 | May 7 | October 22 | 6b |
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 Franklin
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 19 | May 10 | May 4 | April 20 | October 9 | September 27 |
| 32°F | May 11 | May 1 | April 24 | April 9 | October 19 | October 7 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 30 | April 18 | April 11 | March 26 | October 29 | October 16 |
| 24°F | April 15 | April 4 | March 30 | March 10 | November 7 | October 25 |
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.