Skip to content

USDA Hardiness Zone 5b

Frost Dates for 01237 — Lanesboro, Massachusetts

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA (1,194 ft), 9 miles south.

Updated

In Lanesboro, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 5 in half of years and has passed by May 21 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 5, as early as September 23 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 152 days (NOAA, Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA).

Last spring frost
May 5

50% probability

First fall frost
October 5

50% probability

Growing season
152 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
5b

-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night

First snow
November 13

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
April 10

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

22 of 22 observed

Snow per year
—

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Lanesboro

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.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FMay 4May 9May 13May 16May 19May 22May 25May 28Jun 2
32°FApr 23Apr 27Apr 30May 2May 5May 9May 13May 17May 21
28°FApr 8Apr 14Apr 18Apr 21Apr 23Apr 26Apr 30May 3May 9
24°FMar 29Apr 2Apr 4Apr 6Apr 9Apr 11Apr 14Apr 18Apr 21
20°FMar 17Mar 22Mar 26Mar 29Mar 31Apr 1Apr 3Apr 5Apr 10
16°FMar 9Mar 14Mar 17Mar 20Mar 23Mar 25Mar 28Mar 31Apr 3
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 12Sep 17Sep 21Sep 23Sep 26Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 7
32°FSep 23Sep 28Oct 1Oct 3Oct 5Oct 7Oct 11Oct 15Oct 22
28°FOct 2Oct 6Oct 11Oct 14Oct 18Oct 22Oct 26Nov 1Nov 4
24°FOct 15Oct 21Oct 26Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 6Nov 11Nov 17
20°FOct 30Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 14Nov 17Nov 20Nov 24Nov 29
16°FNov 12Nov 17Nov 21Nov 24Nov 27Nov 30Dec 3Dec 6Dec 13

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.

Frost risk on any date in 01237 →Compare Lanesboro with another place →

Weather by month in Lanesboro

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.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan30142.7100%290
Feb33152.5100%270
Mar42233.1100%265
Apr55343.4100%1446
May67443.866%2207
Jun75534.61%0416
Jul79584.20%0578
Aug78573.80%0528
Sep70494.527%<1297
Oct58394.695%779
Nov47293.5100%2011
Dec36213.6100%271

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, MA (1,194 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, North Adams Harriman Airport, MA, 10 miles north of Lanesboro and 540 feet lower, has a last frost 5 days later (May 10), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 4), a season 5 days shorter.

Frost dates for 01247 (North Adams) →

When it snows in Lanesboro, Massachusetts

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lanesboro 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, 15.3 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.

Planting calendar for 01237

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Lanesboro, Massachusetts
WhenWhat to do
February 24 – March 10Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
March 10 – March 24Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
April 7 – April 21Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
May 5 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 13Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by September 21Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 5 onwardPlant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter.

The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.

Where these figures come from

ZIP 01237 is 9 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; its figures are presented in full for 01201 (Pittsfield). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 01237 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.

Frost dates across Massachusetts →

Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.

Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 5b places in Massachusetts