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 78542
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 78542 in zone 10a (the coldest night of a typical year: 30 to 35°F).
The nearest station, Edinburg (17 mi NNE), TX, is 7 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after January 21 in half of years and after February 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburg (17 mi NNE), TX | 7 mi | 64 ft | January 21 | February 28 | December 23 | 9b |
| San Manuel, TX | 9 mi | 75 ft | January 25 | March 5 | January 1 | – |
| McCook, TX | 9 mi | 220 ft | January 22 | March 5 | December 19 | – |
| Edinburg, TX | 10 mi | 96 ft | January 8 | February 21 | January 2 | – |
| La Joya, TX | 16 mi | 213 ft | January 23 | February 27 | December 28 | – |
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 Edinburg (17 mi NNE)
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 10 | February 23 | February 8 | January 4 | December 5 | November 14 |
| 32°F | February 28 | February 5 | January 21 | December 11 | December 23 | November 23 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | February 12 | January 18 | January 4 | December 10 | January 1 | December 6 |
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.