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 97301
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 97301 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, Salem, OR, is 3 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 3 in half of years and after April 27 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 8b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem, ORSalem Airport (McNary Field) | 3 mi | 205 ft | April 3 | April 27 | November 1 | 8b |
| Silverton, OR | 12 mi | 408 ft | March 28 | April 19 | November 10 | 8b |
| Dallas, OR2 mi NE | 14 mi | 290 ft | April 16 | May 5 | November 1 | 8b |
| Stayton, OR | 15 mi | 425 ft | March 29 | April 18 | November 6 | 8b |
| McMinnville, ORMcMinnville Municipal Airport | 18 mi | 159 ft | April 15 | May 6 | October 26 | 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 Salem
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 16 | May 5 | April 30 | April 14 | October 18 | October 2 |
| 32°F | April 27 | April 13 | April 3 | March 10 | November 1 | October 16 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 30 | March 14 | March 2 | January 31 | November 22 | October 30 |
| 24°F | February 27 | February 14 | January 27 | December 18 | December 10 | November 12 |
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.