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 95060
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 95060 in zone 9b (the coldest night of a typical year: 25 to 30°F).
The nearest station, Santa Cruz, CA, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after January 29 in half of years and after February 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Cruz, CA | 5 mi | 70 ft | January 29 | February 28 | December 13 | 9b |
| Ben Lomond, CABen Lomond #4 | 6 mi | 420 ft | March 25 | April 21 | November 11 | 9a |
| Watsonville, CAWatsonville Municipal Airport | 18 mi | 160 ft | January 31 | March 9 | December 9 | 9b |
| Los Gatos, CA | 18 mi | 365 ft | February 2 | March 14 | December 6 | – |
| Watsonville Water Works, CA | 19 mi | 95 ft | January 28 | March 3 | December 13 | 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 Santa Cruz
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 12 | March 30 | March 14 | February 4 | November 24 | November 7 |
| 32°F | February 28 | February 11 | January 29 | December 25 | December 13 | November 23 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | January 31 | January 12 | January 3 | December 12 | 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.