U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00360785 · Pennsylvania

Frost Dates near Whitfield, PA

NOAA weather station Blue Marsh Lake (USC00360785), Pennsylvania · elevation 350 ft (107 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Whitfield is the nearest town to the station (3.3 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 12only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season176 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Whitfield, PASpring: a frost after April 11 in 9 years out of 10, after April 26 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 5 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 176 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 26First frost ~Oct 19Frost season near Whitfield, PASpring: a frost after April 11 in 9 years out of 10, after April 26 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 5 in 1 year out of 10, before October 19 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 176 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 26First frost ~Oct 19
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 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 12October 5
50% (typical)April 26October 19
90% (likely)April 11November 3
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
176 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 12
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 21 (5 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 24 (5 days later). Frost-free season 185 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 Whitfield: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 12, 20% May 7, 30% May 4, 40% April 30, 50% April 26, 60% April 23, 70% April 19, 80% April 16, 90% April 11. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 May 1, 2023 May 19, 2024 April 26, 2025 April 18, 2026 April 22.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 12Apr 26Apr 112021: April 232022: May 12023: May 192024: April 262025: April 182026: April 22Fall near Whitfield: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 5, 20% October 9, 30% October 13, 40% October 16, 50% October 19, 60% October 23, 70% October 27, 80% October 30, 90% November 3. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 24, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 5Oct 19Nov 32021: November 32022: October 182023: October 242024: October 172025: October 10
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
2021April 23November 3
2022May 1October 18
2023May 19October 24
2024April 26October 17
2025April 18October 10
2026April 22season not over yet

What these dates mean

October 5 is the cautious fall date in the Whitfield area for finishing the harvest of tender crops, because only a 10% chance of a light frost has occurred before then.

The median light-frost dates are April 26 in spring and October 19 in fall; there is a 50% chance of a frost later than April 26 and a 50% chance of a frost earlier than October 19. A cautious planting plan uses May 12 as the spring date for setting out tender crops, since only a 10% chance of a frost remains after that day, and relies on the October 5 date in fall for concluding harvests, when the frost risk is still low.

Hard frost at 28°F can injure or kill plants that would otherwise survive a light frost at 32°F, so it represents a more severe threat.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 12" 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 5" 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 Whitfield, PANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Hamburg, PA — 12 mi; 2 — New Holland, PA — 21 mi; 3 — Lebanon, PA — 23 mi; 4 — near Lancaster, PA — 26 mi; 5 — Landisville, PA — 28 mi.NJDE25 mi · 40 km1. Hamburg, PA — 12 mi12. New Holland, PA — 21 mi23. Lebanon, PA — 23 mi34. near Lancaster, PA — 26 mi45. Landisville, PA — 28 mi5
  1. Hamburg, PA 12 mi (19 km)
  2. New Holland, PA 21 mi (34 km)
  3. Lebanon, PA 23 mi (38 km)
  4. near Lancaster, PA 26 mi (42 km)
  5. Landisville, PA 28 mi (45 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: 40.3803, -76.0275.