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 85266
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 85266 in zone 10a (the coldest night of a typical year: 30 to 35°F).
The nearest station, Carefree, AZ, is 4 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after February 4 in half of years and after March 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carefree, AZ | 4 mi | 2,530 ft | February 4 | March 9 | December 16 | 9b |
| Pinnacle Peak, AZ | 4 mi | 2,565 ft | January 27 | March 5 | December 21 | – |
| Scottsdale, AZScottsdale Municipal Airport | 10 mi | 1,473 ft | January 6 | February 7 | December 26 | 10a |
| Phoenix Deer Valley Municipal Airport, AZ | 11 mi | 1,455 ft | January 8 | February 12 | December 25 | 10a |
| Fountain Hills, AZ | 16 mi | 1,580 ft | January 6 | February 11 | 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 Carefree
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 2 | March 15 | March 5 | January 31 | December 1 | November 13 |
| 32°F | March 9 | February 20 | February 4 | January 3 | December 16 | November 24 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | February 22 | January 31 | January 14 | December 19 | January 1 | December 5 |
| 24°F | February 14 | January 25 | January 7 | December 19 | January 6 | December 15 |
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.