Frost Dates for 03584 — Lancaster, New Hampshire

Half of springs at Lancaster, NH see their last 32°F night by May 18; only one in ten is past it by May 3, and one in ten still has one after June 1. Planting tender crops after May 24 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 28 20%, and after June 1 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 25% of the 51 New Hampshire stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by September 30 in half of years, as early as September 16 one year in ten, and holds off past October 12 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 19, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 132 days in a typical year, shorter than at 86% of the 51 New Hampshire stations; it reaches 151 days one year in ten and falls short of 114 one year in ten. On average 188 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 13 days longer, to about May 31, and return around September 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and April 3.

July is the warmest month at Lancaster, NH, averaging 80°F by day and 54°F at night; January is the coldest at 25°F and 3°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From July to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, June still brings one in 13% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,840 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 82% of the 51 New Hampshire stations. 29% of them (537) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 525. Precipitation totals 39.9 inches a year, most in June (4.4") and least in February (2.0"); May to September bring 50% of it.

The nearest other station, Whitefield Mt Washington Airport, NH, 8 miles south of Lancaster and 214 feet higher, has a last frost 9 days later (May 27), a first frost 11 days earlier (September 19), a season 16 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lancaster usually arrives around November 4, and the last of the season around April 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lancaster, NH, 1.6 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 35 days after the last snow.

ZIP 03584 is 2 miles from Lancaster, NH, which stands at 860 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 03584 in zone 4b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -25 to -20°F (-31.7 to -28.9°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.