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 45238
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 45238 in zone 6b (the coldest night of a typical year: -5 to 0°F).
The nearest station, Cheviot, OH, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 17 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 6b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheviot, OH | 3 mi | 891 ft | April 17 | May 5 | October 26 | 6b |
| Mack, OHCheviot (3 mi W) | 5 mi | 853 ft | April 16 | May 3 | October 28 | – |
| Cincinnati-Fernbank, OH | 5 mi | 500 ft | April 13 | May 2 | October 31 | – |
| Cincinnati, OHCincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport | 6 mi | 869 ft | April 18 | May 7 | October 25 | 6b |
| Cincinnati Lunken Airport, OH | 10 mi | 490 ft | April 16 | May 3 | October 25 | 7a |
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 Cheviot
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 13 | May 5 | April 29 | April 14 | October 16 | October 3 |
| 32°F | May 5 | April 24 | April 17 | April 2 | October 26 | October 11 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 21 | April 11 | April 4 | March 20 | November 4 | October 22 |
| 24°F | April 8 | March 31 | March 25 | March 8 | November 16 | November 1 |
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.