Frost Dates by ZIP Code

A frost date is the average date of the last 32°F night in spring or the first 32°F night in fall at a location. Gardeners use them to time seed starting, transplanting and fall planting. They are long-term averages, not forecasts.

The median last frost date has a 50% chance of another frost after it, so planting tender crops on that day is a coin flip. The 10%-risk date has only a 1-in-10 chance of a later frost, which makes it a safer target for tomatoes, peppers and other warm-season transplants.

From the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, which publish freeze-date probabilities for 7,247 weather stations used here. Your ZIP code is matched to the nearest stations by distance from the Census Bureau ZIP code centroid.

Frost depends on elevation, slope and distance from water. Cold air drains into valleys, cities hold heat, and coastal sites frost later in fall. Compare the three nearest stations shown in the results and lean toward the one most like your garden.

Yes. Frost dates here use 32°F, which kills tender plants such as tomatoes, basil and squash. A hard freeze is 28°F or lower and damages most cool-season crops too; it usually comes a week or more after the first fall frost.