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 78040
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 78040 in zone 9b (the coldest night of a typical year: 25 to 30°F).
The nearest station, Laredo, TX, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after January 20 in half of years and after February 26 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laredo, TXLaredo International Airport | 3 mi | 505 ft | January 20 | February 26 | December 25 | – |
| Laredo 2, TX | 4 mi | 430 ft | January 25 | February 25 | December 17 | – |
| Encinal, TX | 33 mi | 545 ft | February 21 | March 16 | December 9 | – |
| Bruni, TX | 41 mi | 771 ft | January 30 | March 1 | December 18 | – |
| Zapata, TX1 mi S | 47 mi | 320 ft | January 19 | February 25 | December 22 | – |
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 Laredo
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 9 | February 24 | February 8 | December 31 | December 11 | November 23 |
| 32°F | February 26 | February 4 | January 20 | December 16 | December 25 | December 2 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | February 17 | January 21 | January 6 | December 12 | December 31 | December 8 |
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.