Frost Dates for 01201 — Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Half of springs at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 23, and one in ten still has one after May 21. Planting tender crops after May 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 17 20%, and after May 21 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 87% of the 71 Massachusetts stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 5 in half of years, as early as September 23 one year in ten, and holds off past October 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 13 days later, around October 18; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 9, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 152 days in a typical year, shorter than at 92% of the 71 Massachusetts stations; it reaches 171 days one year in ten and falls short of 133 one year in ten. On average 153 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 14 days longer, to about May 19, and return around September 26. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 27 and March 23.

July is the warmest month at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA, averaging 79°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 30°F and 14°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 66% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,169 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 97% of the 71 Massachusetts stations. 31% of them (675) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 578. Precipitation totals 44.3 inches a year, most in June (4.6") and least in February (2.5"); May to September bring 47% of it.

The nearest other station, Lenox Dale, MA, 8 miles south of Pittsfield and 190 feet lower, has a last frost 2 days later (May 7), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 3), a season 5 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Pittsfield usually arrives around November 13, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lenox Dale, MA, 8.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 25 days after the last snow.

ZIP 01201 is 3 miles from Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA, which stands at 1,194 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 01201 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.