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 71303
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 71303 in zone 9a (the coldest night of a typical year: 20 to 25°F).
The nearest station, Alexandria, LA, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 2 in half of years and after March 25 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 9a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria, LAAlexandria International Airport | 4 mi | 84 ft | March 2 | March 25 | November 17 | 9a |
| Alexandria station, LA | 6 mi | 87 ft | February 27 | March 18 | November 27 | – |
| Alexandria (5 mi SSE), LA | 6 mi | 85 ft | March 3 | March 24 | November 22 | – |
| Lsu Dean Lee Research Station, LA | 11 mi | 70 ft | March 1 | March 22 | November 22 | 9a |
| Boyce, LA3 mi WNW | 13 mi | 110 ft | March 2 | March 19 | November 27 | 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 Alexandria
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 9 | March 29 | March 19 | February 26 | November 6 | October 23 |
| 32°F | March 25 | March 13 | March 2 | February 6 | November 17 | November 1 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 13 | February 27 | February 15 | January 13 | December 1 | November 8 |
| 24°F | February 27 | February 7 | January 27 | December 25 | December 25 | November 25 |
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.