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 46635
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 46635 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, South Bend station, IN, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 23 in half of years and after May 9 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Bend station, IN | 3 mi | 710 ft | April 23 | May 9 | October 23 | – |
| South Bend, INSouth Bend Airport | 6 mi | 773 ft | May 1 | May 17 | October 19 | 6a |
| Niles, MI | 9 mi | 650 ft | April 27 | May 14 | October 25 | – |
| Lakeville, IN | 13 mi | 841 ft | May 1 | May 18 | October 13 | 5b |
| Dowagiac, MI1 mi W | 19 mi | 740 ft | May 4 | May 22 | October 11 | 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 South Bend station
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 18 | May 9 | May 3 | April 20 | October 12 | September 28 |
| 32°F | May 9 | April 30 | April 23 | April 11 | October 23 | October 9 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 28 | April 18 | April 12 | March 30 | November 3 | October 21 |
| 24°F | April 16 | April 6 | April 1 | March 17 | November 16 | 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.