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 48906
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 48906 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Lansing, MI, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lansing, MILansing Capital City Airport | 1 mi | 841 ft | May 1 | May 18 | October 13 | 6a |
| East Lansing, MI4 mi S | 9 mi | 880 ft | April 28 | May 16 | October 17 | – |
| St. Johns, MISaint Johns | 16 mi | 743 ft | April 28 | May 12 | October 24 | 6a |
| Eaton Rapids, MI | 19 mi | 870 ft | April 30 | May 16 | October 14 | – |
| Charlotte, MI | 20 mi | 902 ft | May 1 | May 18 | October 15 | 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 Lansing
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 31 | May 21 | May 13 | April 29 | October 1 | September 17 |
| 32°F | May 18 | May 7 | May 1 | April 18 | October 13 | September 29 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 6 | April 28 | April 21 | April 6 | October 27 | October 7 |
| 24°F | April 23 | April 15 | April 8 | March 26 | November 8 | October 23 |
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.