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 70601
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 70601 in zone 9a (the coldest night of a typical year: 20 to 25°F).
The nearest station, Lake Charles, LA, is 7 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after February 14 in half of years and after March 11 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 9b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Charles, LALake Charles Regional Airport | 7 mi | 13 ft | February 14 | March 11 | December 7 | 9b |
| Moss Bluff, LA2 mi NNW | 8 mi | 25 ft | March 2 | March 26 | November 25 | – |
| Hackberry, LA8 mi SSW | 26 mi | 6 ft | February 3 | March 9 | December 24 | 9b |
| Lake Arthur, LA7 mi SW | 30 mi | 11 ft | February 10 | March 8 | December 11 | 9b |
| Orange, TX9 mi N | 31 mi | 18 ft | February 28 | March 29 | November 23 | 9a |
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 Lake Charles
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) | March 24 | March 11 | March 2 | February 8 | November 23 | November 4 |
| 32°F | March 11 | February 26 | February 14 | January 16 | December 7 | November 14 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | February 28 | February 6 | January 27 | December 31 | January 3 | December 3 |
| 24°F | February 12 | January 28 | January 17 | December 26 | January 9 | December 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.