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 95018
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 95018 in zone 9b (the coldest night of a typical year: 25 to 30°F).
The nearest station, Ben Lomond, CA, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 25 in half of years and after April 21 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 9a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Lomond, CABen Lomond #4 | 1 mi | 420 ft | March 25 | April 21 | November 11 | 9a |
| Santa Cruz, CA | 7 mi | 70 ft | January 29 | February 28 | December 13 | 9b |
| Los Gatos, CA | 12 mi | 365 ft | February 2 | March 14 | December 6 | – |
| Skyline Ridge Preserve, CA | 17 mi | 2,270 ft | March 21 | April 28 | December 15 | – |
| Watsonville, CAWatsonville Municipal Airport | 18 mi | 160 ft | January 31 | March 9 | December 9 | 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 Ben Lomond
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 19 | May 5 | April 28 | April 6 | October 21 | October 1 |
| 32°F | April 21 | April 4 | March 25 | February 17 | November 11 | October 18 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 9 | February 22 | February 6 | December 26 | December 4 | November 11 |
| 24°F | February 13 | January 21 | January 4 | December 13 | December 20 | 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.