Skip to content

USDA Hardiness Zone 6b

Frost Dates for 15717 — Blairsville, Pennsylvania

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Loyalhanna Lake, PA (990 ft), 11 miles west.

Updated

In Blairsville, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 2 in half of years and has passed by May 18 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 14, as early as October 2 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 163 days (NOAA, Loyalhanna Lake, PA).

Last spring frost
May 2

50% probability

First fall frost
October 14

50% probability

Growing season
163 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
6b

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

First snow
December 6

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
March 14

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

22 of 22 observed

Snow per year
—

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Blairsville

Half of springs at Loyalhanna Lake, PA see their last 32°F night by May 2; only one in ten is past it by April 18, and one in ten still has one after May 18. Planting tender crops after May 9 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 13 20%, and after May 18 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 51% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 14 in half of years, as early as October 2 one year in ten, and holds off past October 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 25; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 8, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 163 days in a typical year, shorter than at 70% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 183 days one year in ten and falls short of 143 one year in ten. On average 130 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 12 days longer, to about May 14, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 27 and March 16.

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

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Loyalhanna Lake, 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 15717 →Compare Blairsville with another place →

Weather by month in Blairsville

July is the warmest month at Loyalhanna Lake, PA, averaging 83°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 37°F and 19°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 56% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,771 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 63% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 34% of them (935) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 656. Precipitation totals 43.5 inches a year, most in August (4.6") and least in February (2.5"); May to September bring 48% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Loyalhanna Lake, PA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan37193.1100%271
Feb40202.5100%243
Mar49273.3100%2223
Apr62363.8100%1098
May72464.056%2293
Jun80554.10%0516
Jul83594.30%0656
Aug82584.60%0618
Sep76514.07%0406
Oct64402.996%5132
Nov52303.3100%1721
Dec41243.6100%244

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Loyalhanna Lake, PA (990 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, Indiana 3 SE, PA, 12 miles northeast of Blairsville, has a last frost 6 days later (May 8), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 13), a season 6 days shorter.

Frost dates for 15701 (Indiana) →

When it snows in Blairsville, Pennsylvania

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Blairsville usually arrives around December 6, and the last of the season around March 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Loyalhanna Lake, PA, 10.8 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 49 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 15717

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Blairsville, Pennsylvania
WhenWhat to do
February 21 – March 7Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
March 7 – March 21Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
April 4 – April 18Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
May 2 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 22Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by September 30Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 14 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 15717 is 11 miles from Loyalhanna Lake, PA, which stands at 990 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 15717 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