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 53403
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 53403 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Racine station, WI, is 2 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 20 in half of years and after May 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Racine station, WI | 2 mi | 595 ft | April 20 | May 6 | October 24 | 6a |
| Racine, WIRacine Batten Airport | 5 mi | 674 ft | April 24 | May 10 | October 24 | 6a |
| Kenosha station, WI | 9 mi | 600 ft | April 19 | May 3 | October 26 | 6a |
| Kenosha, WIKenosha Regional Airport | 9 mi | 743 ft | April 28 | May 13 | October 19 | 5b |
| Union Grove, WI | 11 mi | 730 ft | May 5 | May 20 | October 8 | 5b |
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 Racine 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 21 | May 10 | May 4 | April 20 | October 13 | September 29 |
| 32°F | May 6 | April 27 | April 20 | April 7 | October 24 | October 8 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 23 | April 15 | April 9 | March 28 | November 3 | October 19 |
| 24°F | April 12 | April 4 | March 31 | March 15 | November 12 | 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.