U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00366508 · Pennsylvania

Frost Dates near Oxford, PA

NOAA weather station Octoraro Lake (USC00366508), Pennsylvania · elevation 260 ft (79 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Oxford is the nearest town to the station (3.5 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 10only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season179 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Oxford, PASpring: a frost after April 9 in 9 years out of 10, after April 26 in half of the years, after May 10 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 9 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 179 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 26First frost ~Oct 22Frost season near Oxford, PASpring: a frost after April 9 in 9 years out of 10, after April 26 in half of the years, after May 10 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 9 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 179 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 26First frost ~Oct 22
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 10October 9
50% (typical)April 26October 22
90% (likely)April 9November 3
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
179 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 11
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 31

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 20 (6 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 27 (5 days later). Frost-free season 188 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 near Oxford: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 10, 20% May 5, 30% May 2, 40% April 29, 50% April 26, 60% April 22, 70% April 19, 80% April 15, 90% April 9. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2022 April 30, 2023 April 26, 2024 April 23, 2025 April 18, 2026 April 21.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 10Apr 26Apr 92022: April 302023: April 262024: April 232025: April 182026: April 21Fall near Oxford: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 9, 20% October 13, 30% October 16, 40% October 19, 50% October 22, 60% October 24, 70% October 27, 80% October 30, 90% November 3. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2022 October 20, 2023 October 24, 2024 October 27, 2025 October 25.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 9Oct 22Nov 32022: October 202023: October 242024: October 272025: October 25
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. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021incomplete recordincomplete record
2022April 30October 20
2023April 26October 24
2024April 23October 27
2025April 18October 25
2026April 21season not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on the early spring date of April 9 carries a 90% chance of encountering a light frost later, so a gardener who risks that date faces a high probability of loss in the Oxford area.

The 50% date in spring is April 26, meaning a 50% chance of a light frost later than this date, while the 50% date in fall is October 22, meaning a 50% chance of a light frost earlier than this date. A cautious planting plan therefore uses the May 10 date (10% chance of a later frost) for sowing tender crops in spring and the October 9 date (10% chance of an earlier frost) for finishing harvest in fall.

Hard-frost dates—April 11 in spring and October 31 in fall—mark the median point for 28 °F events, which can damage plant tissue more severely than the milder 32 °F light frosts.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 10" 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 October 9" 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 Oxford, PANumbered nearest stations: 1 — New Holland, PA — 19 mi; 2 — near Lancaster, PA — 21 mi; 3 — near Wilmington Manor, DE — 25 mi; 4 — near Wilmington, DE — 27 mi; 5 — Landisville, PA — 30 mi.MDNJ25 mi · 40 km1. New Holland, PA — 19 mi12. near Lancaster, PA — 21 mi23. near Wilmington Manor, DE — 25 mi34. near Wilmington, DE — 27 mi45. Landisville, PA — 30 mi5
  1. New Holland, PA 19 mi (31 km)
  2. near Lancaster, PA 21 mi (34 km)
  3. near Wilmington Manor, DE 25 mi (40 km)
  4. near Wilmington, DE 27 mi (43 km)
  5. Landisville, PA 30 mi (49 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 39.7956, -76.0442.