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 46516
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 46516 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Goshen (3 mi SW), IN, is 9 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 26 in half of years and after May 12 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 6a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goshen (3 mi SW), IN | 9 mi | 875 ft | April 26 | May 12 | October 21 | 6a |
| Goshen, INGoshen Municipal Airport | 13 mi | 827 ft | April 28 | May 13 | October 19 | 6a |
| South Bend station, IN | 16 mi | 710 ft | April 23 | May 9 | October 23 | – |
| South Bend, INSouth Bend Airport | 19 mi | 773 ft | May 1 | May 17 | October 19 | 6a |
| Lakeville, IN | 20 mi | 841 ft | May 1 | May 18 | October 13 | 5b |
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 Goshen (3 mi SW)
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 21 | May 12 | May 6 | April 23 | October 7 | September 26 |
| 32°F | May 12 | May 3 | April 26 | April 13 | October 21 | October 6 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 1 | April 21 | April 16 | April 1 | November 1 | October 19 |
| 24°F | April 19 | April 9 | April 3 | March 19 | November 12 | 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.