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 85648
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 85648 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, Rio Rico, AZ, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 16 in half of years and after May 4 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rio Rico, AZNogales (6 mi N) | 3 mi | 3,461 ft | April 16 | May 4 | November 2 | – |
| Tumacacori National Monument, AZ | 6 mi | 3,267 ft | April 5 | April 25 | November 10 | 8b |
| Nogales, AZNogales International Airport | 11 mi | 3,932 ft | March 20 | April 13 | November 17 | 8b |
| Santa Rita Experiment Range, AZ | 21 mi | 4,300 ft | February 25 | March 29 | December 5 | – |
| Sonoita, AZ | 24 mi | 4,895 ft | March 28 | April 21 | November 21 | – |
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 Rio Rico
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 18 | May 9 | May 2 | April 18 | October 24 | October 10 |
| 32°F | May 4 | April 24 | April 16 | March 28 | November 2 | October 19 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 15 | April 3 | March 22 | February 26 | November 14 | October 29 |
| 24°F | March 23 | March 6 | February 27 | January 31 | November 25 | November 8 |
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.