Frost Dates for 15853 — Ridgway, Pennsylvania

Half of springs at Ridgway, PA see their last 32°F night by May 13; only one in ten is past it by April 26, and one in ten still has one after May 28. Planting tender crops after May 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 24 20%, and after May 28 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 72% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 11 in half of years, as early as September 28 one year in ten, and holds off past October 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around October 25; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 19, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 150 days in a typical year, shorter than at 87% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 174 days one year in ten and falls short of 127 one year in ten. On average 164 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 25, and return around September 29. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 28 and March 23.

July is the warmest month at Ridgway, PA, averaging 81°F by day and 57°F at night; January is the coldest at 34°F and 16°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 80% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,364 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 84% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 32% of them (766) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 584. Precipitation totals 45.6 inches a year, most in June (4.6") and least in February (2.7"); May to September bring 47% of it.

The nearest other station, Glen Hazel 2 NE Dam, PA, 12 miles northeast of Ridgway and 360 feet higher, has a last frost 1 day later (May 14), a first frost 5 days earlier (October 6), a season 7 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ridgway usually arrives around November 16, and the last of the season around April 4. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ridgway, PA, 0.1 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 39 days after the last snow.

ZIP 15853 is under a mile from Ridgway, PA, which stands at 1,360 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 15853 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.