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 81503
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 81503 in zone 7a (the coldest night of a typical year: 0 to 5°F).
The nearest station, Grand Junction (6 mi ESE), CO, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 23 in half of years and after May 9 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 7a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Junction (6 mi ESE), CO | 1 mi | 4,760 ft | April 23 | May 9 | October 20 | 7a |
| Grand Junction Weather Office, CO | 6 mi | 4,826 ft | April 14 | April 28 | October 23 | – |
| Grand Junction, COGrand Junction Walker Field | 7 mi | 4,858 ft | April 28 | May 14 | October 16 | 6b |
| Palisade, CO | 9 mi | 4,751 ft | April 17 | May 3 | October 26 | 7b |
| Colorado National Monument, CO | 14 mi | 5,781 ft | April 26 | May 15 | October 16 | 7a |
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 Grand Junction (6 mi ESE)
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) | May 20 | May 9 | May 3 | April 21 | October 10 | September 28 |
| 32°F | May 9 | April 29 | April 23 | April 6 | October 20 | October 5 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 25 | April 16 | April 8 | March 18 | November 1 | October 14 |
| 24°F | April 10 | March 31 | March 19 | March 1 | November 11 | October 25 |
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.