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 53143
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 53143 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Kenosha station, WI, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 19 in half of years and after May 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenosha station, WI | 1 mi | 600 ft | April 19 | May 3 | October 26 | 6a |
| Kenosha, WIKenosha Regional Airport | 6 mi | 743 ft | April 28 | May 13 | October 19 | 5b |
| Racine station, WI | 10 mi | 595 ft | April 20 | May 6 | October 24 | 6a |
| Chicago Waukegan Regional Airport, IL | 10 mi | 727 ft | April 30 | May 16 | October 21 | 6a |
| Paddock Lake, WI | 13 mi | 775 ft | April 30 | May 16 | October 15 | – |
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 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 16 | May 7 | May 1 | April 17 | October 17 | October 1 |
| 32°F | May 3 | April 25 | April 19 | April 6 | October 26 | October 11 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 21 | April 12 | April 8 | March 26 | November 6 | October 24 |
| 24°F | April 11 | April 3 | March 29 | March 12 | November 15 | 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.