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 78703
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 78703 in zone 9a (the coldest night of a typical year: 20 to 25°F).
The nearest station, Austin, TX, is 2 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after February 20 in half of years and after March 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, TXAustin-Camp Mabry | 2 mi | 670 ft | February 20 | March 14 | December 3 | 9a |
| Austin (6 mi S), TX | 5 mi | 570 ft | March 10 | March 31 | November 17 | – |
| Austin Great Hills, TX | 8 mi | 880 ft | March 11 | March 29 | November 20 | – |
| Austin Bergstrom Airport, TX | 9 mi | 480 ft | March 12 | April 2 | November 16 | 8b |
| Dripping Springs, TX6 mi E | 14 mi | 1,084 ft | March 17 | April 7 | November 13 | 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 Austin
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 27 | March 15 | March 6 | February 14 | November 22 | November 5 |
| 32°F | March 14 | March 2 | February 20 | January 23 | December 3 | November 15 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 3 | February 13 | February 1 | December 29 | December 27 | November 27 |
| 24°F | February 18 | February 2 | January 20 | December 24 | January 7 | December 12 |
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.