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 93311
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 93311 in zone 9b (the coldest night of a typical year: 25 to 30°F).
The nearest station, Taft, CA, is 15 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after January 24 in half of years and after March 12 in one year in ten.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taft, CA | 15 mi | 773 ft | January 24 | March 12 | December 17 | – |
| Oildale, CABakersfield (5 mi NW) | 19 mi | 470 ft | January 31 | February 27 | December 8 | – |
| Bakersfield, CABakersfield Airport | 20 mi | 489 ft | January 17 | February 18 | December 15 | 9b |
| Shafter, CA6 mi E | 23 mi | 404 ft | February 20 | March 9 | November 23 | – |
| Buttonwillow, CA | 24 mi | 225 ft | February 9 | March 6 | November 26 | 9a |
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 Taft
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 18 | February 26 | January 22 | December 3 | November 15 |
| 32°F | March 12 | February 8 | January 24 | December 25 | December 17 | December 1 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | February 13 | January 14 | January 3 | December 13 | December 27 | December 6 |
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.