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 76597
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 76597 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, Gatesville, TX, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 19 in half of years and after April 7 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 8b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gatesville, TX | 5 mi | 826 ft | March 19 | April 7 | November 9 | 8b |
| McGregor, TX | 19 mi | 723 ft | March 15 | April 4 | November 18 | – |
| Evant, TX1 mi SSW | 27 mi | 1,245 ft | March 15 | April 1 | November 18 | 8b |
| Killeen, TX | 29 mi | 815 ft | March 14 | April 4 | November 17 | – |
| Waco, TXWaco Regional Airport | 30 mi | 500 ft | March 15 | April 6 | November 15 | 8b |
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 Gatesville
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 22 | April 10 | April 2 | March 15 | November 1 | October 19 |
| 32°F | April 7 | March 29 | March 19 | February 26 | November 9 | October 25 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 27 | March 13 | March 5 | February 12 | November 20 | November 1 |
| 24°F | March 13 | March 2 | February 20 | January 15 | December 2 | November 10 |
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.