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 79911
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 79911 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, La Tuna (1 mi S), TX, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after February 28 in half of years and after March 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Tuna (1 mi S), TX | 5 mi | 3,870 ft | February 28 | March 17 | November 20 | 8b |
| Santa Teresa, NMSanta Teresa Airport | 10 mi | 4,109 ft | March 23 | April 9 | November 11 | 8a |
| El Paso, TXEl Paso International Airport | 13 mi | 3,918 ft | March 2 | March 19 | November 20 | 8b |
| Las Cruces, NMState University | 27 mi | 3,886 ft | March 12 | April 2 | November 13 | 8b |
| El Paso (32 mi ENE), TX | 34 mi | 5,240 ft | March 24 | April 10 | November 11 | – |
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 La Tuna (1 mi S)
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 8 | March 27 | March 16 | February 28 | November 10 | October 28 |
| 32°F | March 17 | March 7 | February 28 | February 7 | November 20 | November 5 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 4 | February 19 | February 10 | January 19 | December 1 | November 17 |
| 24°F | February 15 | February 1 | January 23 | December 24 | December 16 | November 29 |
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.