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 47306
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 47306 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Muncie, IN, is 2 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 16 in half of years and after May 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Muncie, INMuncie Delaware County Airport | 2 mi | 937 ft | April 16 | May 2 | October 25 | 6b |
| Farmland, IN5 mi NNW | 14 mi | 965 ft | April 25 | May 11 | October 16 | 6a |
| Hartford City, IN4 mi ESE | 17 mi | 924 ft | April 22 | May 7 | October 22 | 6a |
| Anderson, INAnderson Sewage Plant | 18 mi | 841 ft | April 19 | May 5 | October 23 | 6a |
| New Castle, IN3 mi SW | 22 mi | 991 ft | April 27 | May 12 | October 17 | 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 Muncie
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 14 | May 4 | April 28 | April 14 | October 12 | September 28 |
| 32°F | May 2 | April 22 | April 16 | April 1 | October 25 | October 9 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 19 | April 9 | April 3 | March 19 | November 5 | October 22 |
| 24°F | April 8 | March 31 | March 25 | March 7 | November 17 | 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.