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USDA Hardiness Zone 6b

Frost Dates for 15314 — Bentleyville, Pennsylvania

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Charleroi Lock 4, PA (749 ft), 6 miles east.

Updated

In Bentleyville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 13 in half of years and has passed by May 5 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around November 5, as early as October 25 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 205 days (NOAA, Charleroi Lock 4, PA).

Last spring frost
April 13

50% probability

First fall frost
November 5

50% probability

Growing season
205 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
6b

-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night

First snow
December 16

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
March 1

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
92%

23 of 25 observed

Snow per year
10.3"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Bentleyville

Half of springs at Charleroi Lock 4, PA see their last 32°F night by April 13; only one in ten is past it by March 29, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 21 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 26 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 22 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 99% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by November 5 in half of years, as early as October 25 one year in ten, and holds off past November 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 16; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 14, 21 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 205 days in a typical year, longer than at 92% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 227 days one year in ten and falls short of 182 one year in ten. On average 108 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 April 27, and return around October 25. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 23 and February 28.

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

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Charleroi Lock 4, PA, 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 15314 →Compare Bentleyville with another place →

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Donora 1 SW, PA, 8 miles east of Bentleyville, has a last frost 14 days later (April 27), a first frost 14 days earlier (October 22), a season 28 days shorter.

Frost dates for 15012 (Belle Vernon) →

When it snows in Bentleyville, Pennsylvania

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Bentleyville usually arrives around December 16, and the last of the season around March 1. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Charleroi Lock 4, PA, 6.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 92% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 43 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 15314

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Bentleyville, Pennsylvania
WhenWhat to do
February 2 – February 16Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 16 – March 2Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 16 – March 30Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 13 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 13Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 22Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
November 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 15314 is 6 miles from Charleroi Lock 4, PA, which stands at 749 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 7 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 15063 (Monongahela). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 15314 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.

Frost dates across Pennsylvania →

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 6b places in Pennsylvania