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 96003
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 96003 in zone 9b (the coldest night of a typical year: 25 to 30°F).
The nearest station, Shasta, CA, is 6 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after February 8 in half of years and after March 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shasta, CAShasta Dam | 6 mi | 1,075 ft | February 8 | March 28 | December 28 | 9b |
| Redding, CARedding Airport | 10 mi | 497 ft | March 3 | April 9 | November 21 | 9a |
| Whiskeytown Reservoir, CA | 12 mi | 1,295 ft | February 13 | March 25 | December 13 | – |
| Redding (12 mi WNW), CA | 15 mi | 1,418 ft | March 19 | April 11 | November 22 | – |
| Trinity River Hatchery, CA | 25 mi | 1,861 ft | April 23 | May 11 | October 22 | 8b |
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 Shasta
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 16 | April 1 | March 19 | February 6 | December 6 | November 16 |
| 32°F | March 28 | March 1 | February 8 | December 26 | December 28 | December 1 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 14 | February 14 | January 18 | December 14 | January 4 | December 10 |
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.