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 93901
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 93901 in zone 9b (the coldest night of a typical year: 25 to 30°F).
The nearest station, Salinas, CA, is 2 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after January 29 in half of years and after March 1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salinas, CASalinas Municipal Airport | 2 mi | 74 ft | January 29 | March 1 | December 10 | 9b |
| Salinas #2, CA | 2 mi | 45 ft | February 4 | March 11 | December 6 | 9b |
| Monterey, CAMonterey Peninsul Airport | 13 mi | 165 ft | January 2 | January 20 | December 23 | 10a |
| Carmel Valley, CA | 13 mi | 480 ft | February 20 | March 27 | December 8 | 9b |
| Monterey Weather Office, CA | 13 mi | 122 ft | January 3 | January 24 | 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 Salinas
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 26 | March 9 | February 2 | November 23 | November 4 |
| 32°F | March 1 | February 12 | January 29 | December 18 | December 10 | November 21 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | January 31 | January 12 | December 31 | December 6 | December 25 | December 1 |
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.