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 98003
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 98003 in zone 8b (the coldest night of a typical year: 15 to 20°F).
The nearest station, Tacoma #1, WA, is 6 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after March 8 in half of years and after March 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tacoma #1, WA | 6 mi | 25 ft | March 8 | March 31 | November 14 | 9a |
| Kent, WA | 8 mi | 30 ft | March 20 | April 8 | November 10 | 8b |
| Seattle, WASeattle Tacoma International Airport | 10 mi | 370 ft | March 2 | March 23 | November 23 | 9a |
| McMillin, WAMcMillin Reservoir | 12 mi | 579 ft | April 11 | April 29 | October 30 | 8b |
| Tacoma, WATacoma Narrows Airport | 13 mi | 292 ft | March 11 | April 2 | November 21 | 9a |
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 Tacoma #1
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 24 | April 11 | April 2 | March 13 | October 31 | October 16 |
| 32°F | March 31 | March 17 | March 8 | February 15 | November 14 | October 30 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | March 4 | February 23 | February 11 | December 29 | December 1 | November 8 |
| 24°F | February 18 | January 31 | January 7 | December 2 | December 17 | November 20 |
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.