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USDA Hardiness Zone 6b

Frost Dates for 15632 — Export, Pennsylvania

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Murrysville 2 SW, PA (860 ft), 6 miles west.

Updated

In Export, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 22 in half of years and has passed by May 12 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 25, as early as October 10 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 186 days (NOAA, Murrysville 2 SW, PA).

Last spring frost
April 22

50% probability

First fall frost
October 25

50% probability

Growing season
186 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
6b

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

First snow
November 30

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
March 21

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

24 of 24 observed

Snow per year
28.6"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Export

Half of springs at Murrysville 2 SW, PA see their last 32°F night by April 22; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 12. Planting tender crops after April 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 12 10%. The 20 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 98% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 25 in half of years, as early as October 10 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around November 5; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 19 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 186 days in a typical year, longer than at 72% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 207 days one year in ten and falls short of 163 one year in ten. On average 129 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 5, and return around October 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 12 and March 8.

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

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Murrysville 2 SW, 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 15632 →Compare Export with another place →

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Salina 3 W, PA, 7 miles northeast of Export and 249 feet higher, has a last frost 7 days later (April 29), a first frost 5 days earlier (October 20), a season 15 days shorter.

Frost dates for 15613 (Apollo) →

When it snows in Export, Pennsylvania

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Export usually arrives around November 30, and the last of the season around March 21. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Salina 3 W, PA, 6.7 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 32 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 15632

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Export, Pennsylvania
WhenWhat to do
February 11 – February 25Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
February 25 – March 11Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
March 25 – April 8Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
April 22 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by August 2Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by October 11Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 25 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 15632 is 6 miles from Murrysville 2 SW, PA, which stands at 860 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 8 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 15642 (Irwin). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 15632 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