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 77040
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 77040 in zone 9b (the coldest night of a typical year: 25 to 30°F).
The nearest station, Houston, TX, is 13 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after February 13 in half of years and after March 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston, TXHouston Intercontinental Airport | 13 mi | 95 ft | February 13 | March 12 | December 9 | 9b |
| Houston Hooks Mem Airport, TX | 13 mi | 152 ft | February 19 | March 15 | December 3 | 9a |
| Houston-Port, TX | 18 mi | 19 ft | February 2 | March 5 | December 25 | – |
| Houston Sugarland Mem, TX | 19 mi | 82 ft | February 2 | March 7 | December 11 | 9b |
| Sugar Land, TX | 19 mi | 84 ft | February 9 | March 11 | December 13 | – |
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 Houston
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 25 | March 11 | March 2 | February 5 | November 25 | November 6 |
| 32°F | March 12 | February 28 | February 13 | January 12 | December 9 | November 17 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 2 | February 6 | January 27 | December 26 | January 2 | December 2 |
| 24°F | February 15 | January 31 | January 15 | December 21 | January 8 | December 14 |
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.