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 53142
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 53142 in zone 5b (the coldest night of a typical year: -15 to -10°F).
The nearest station, Kenosha, WI, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 28 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 5b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha, WIKenosha Regional Airport | 3 mi | 743 ft | April 28 | May 13 | October 19 | 5b |
| Kenosha station, WI | 4 mi | 600 ft | April 19 | May 3 | October 26 | 6a |
| Chicago Waukegan Regional Airport, IL | 10 mi | 727 ft | April 30 | May 16 | October 21 | 6a |
| Paddock Lake, WI | 10 mi | 775 ft | April 30 | May 16 | October 15 | – |
| Racine station, WI | 11 mi | 595 ft | April 20 | May 6 | October 24 | 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 Kenosha
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 26 | May 16 | May 8 | April 25 | October 7 | September 23 |
| 32°F | May 13 | May 3 | April 28 | April 13 | October 19 | October 1 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 2 | April 23 | April 15 | April 1 | October 30 | October 15 |
| 24°F | April 18 | April 8 | April 3 | March 19 | November 10 | October 28 |
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.