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 53718
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 53718 in zone 5b (the coldest night of a typical year: -15 to -10°F).
The nearest station, Madison, WI, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after May 1 in half of years and after May 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison, WIMadison Dane County Regional Airport | 5 mi | 866 ft | May 1 | May 16 | October 10 | 5b |
| Uw Arboretum - Madison, WI | 9 mi | 870 ft | May 1 | May 17 | October 9 | 5a |
| Charmany Farm, WI | 11 mi | 1,046 ft | April 28 | May 11 | October 15 | 5b |
| Stoughton, WI | 13 mi | 840 ft | April 30 | May 15 | October 11 | 5b |
| Arlington, WI | 15 mi | 1,052 ft | May 4 | May 18 | October 6 | 5a |
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 Madison
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 29 | May 19 | May 13 | April 29 | September 29 | September 17 |
| 32°F | May 16 | May 7 | May 1 | April 16 | October 10 | September 26 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | May 5 | April 26 | April 20 | April 5 | October 22 | October 6 |
| 24°F | April 22 | April 13 | April 7 | March 25 | November 2 | October 19 |
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.