U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00363758 · Pennsylvania

Frost Dates for Hawley, PA

NOAA weather station Hawley 1 E (USC00363758), Pennsylvania · elevation 890 ft (271 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 26only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 1050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season146 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Hawley, PASpring: a frost after April 26 in 9 years out of 10, after May 10 in half of the years, after May 26 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 21 in 1 year out of 10, before October 4 in half of the years, before October 18 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 146 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 10First frost ~Oct 4Frost season at Hawley, PASpring: a frost after April 26 in 9 years out of 10, after May 10 in half of the years, after May 26 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 21 in 1 year out of 10, before October 4 in half of the years, before October 18 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 146 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 10First frost ~Oct 4
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 25 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 26September 21
50% (typical)May 10October 4
90% (likely)April 26October 18
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
146 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 29
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 16

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 6 (4 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 12 (8 days later). Frost-free season 154 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring at Hawley: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 26, 20% May 21, 30% May 17, 40% May 14, 50% May 10, 60% May 8, 70% May 4, 80% April 30, 90% April 26.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 26May 10Apr 26Fall at Hawley: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 21, 20% September 27, 30% October 1, 40% October 2, 50% October 4, 60% October 6, 70% October 9, 80% October 13, 90% October 18.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 21Oct 4Oct 18
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there.

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on April 26 in Hawley is a gamble, because there is a 90% chance of a light frost later than that date. A more cautious plan uses May 26, when only a 10% chance of frost remains.

The 50% spring date, May 10, marks the point at which a light frost is equally likely to occur before or after; the 50% fall date, October 4, is the moment when a frost is equally likely to have arrived earlier. Hard-frost median dates are April 29 in spring and October 16 in fall.

For fall, the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is September 21, when only a 10% chance of a frost earlier exists. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F, so those median hard-frost dates are important reference points.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 26" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before September 21" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Hawley, PANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Pleasant Mount, PA — 23 mi; 2 — Port Jervis, NY — 25 mi; 3 — Wilkes-Barre, PA — 31 mi; 4 — near New Paltz, NY — 56 mi; 5 — Allentown, PA — 59 mi.NYNJCT25 mi · 40 km1. Pleasant Mount, PA — 23 mi12. Port Jervis, NY — 25 mi23. Wilkes-Barre, PA — 31 mi34. near New Paltz, NY — 56 mi45. Allentown, PA — 59 mi5
  1. Pleasant Mount, PA 23 mi (37 km)
  2. Port Jervis, NY 25 mi (41 km)
  3. Wilkes-Barre, PA 31 mi (49 km)
  4. near New Paltz, NY 56 mi (90 km)
  5. Allentown, PA 59 mi (95 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 41.4764, -75.1653.