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 93940
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 93940 in zone 10a (the coldest night of a typical year: 30 to 35°F).
The nearest station, Monterey, CA, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after January 2 in half of years and after January 20 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 10a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey, CAMonterey Peninsul Airport | 3 mi | 165 ft | January 2 | January 20 | December 23 | 10a |
| Monterey Weather Office, CA | 3 mi | 122 ft | January 3 | January 24 | December 28 | – |
| Monterey station, CA | 6 mi | 260 ft | January 1 | January 21 | December 30 | 10a |
| Carmel Valley, CA | 7 mi | 480 ft | February 20 | March 27 | December 8 | 9b |
| Salinas #2, CA | 10 mi | 45 ft | February 4 | March 11 | December 6 | 9b |
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 Monterey
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) | March 11 | February 13 | January 27 | December 27 | December 7 | November 18 |
| 32°F | January 20 | January 10 | January 2 | December 6 | December 23 | 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.