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 70503
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 70503 in zone 9a (the coldest night of a typical year: 20 to 25°F).
The nearest station, Lafayette station, LA, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after February 26 in half of years and after March 20 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette station, LA | 3 mi | 25 ft | February 26 | March 20 | November 28 | – |
| Lafayette, LALafayette Regional Airport | 5 mi | 38 ft | February 13 | March 10 | December 4 | 9a |
| Lafayette (13 mi SE), LA | 12 mi | 35 ft | February 19 | March 16 | December 1 | 9a |
| St. Martinville, LASt Martinville (3 mi SW) | 13 mi | 30 ft | February 21 | March 17 | November 27 | 9a |
| New Iberia Acadiana Airport, LA | 14 mi | 24 ft | February 10 | March 9 | December 11 | – |
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 Lafayette 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) | April 3 | March 22 | March 11 | February 17 | November 13 | November 1 |
| 32°F | March 20 | March 7 | February 26 | January 29 | November 28 | November 7 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 8 | February 23 | February 5 | January 2 | December 14 | November 18 |
| 24°F | February 27 | February 4 | January 26 | December 24 | January 3 | December 5 |
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.