Frost Dates for 16201 — Kittanning, Pennsylvania

Half of springs at Ford City 4 S Dam, PA see their last 32°F night by May 4; only one in ten is past it by April 20, and one in ten still has one after May 20. Planting tender crops after May 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 15 20%, and after May 20 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 16 in half of years, as early as October 2 one year in ten, and holds off past October 30 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 28; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 9, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 164 days in a typical year, shorter than at 68% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 185 days one year in ten and falls short of 143 one year in ten. On average 142 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 16, and return around October 5. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 19.

July is the warmest month at Ford City 4 S Dam, PA, averaging 84°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 36°F and 17°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 59% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,793 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 62% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 34% of them (945) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 670. Precipitation totals 44.4 inches a year, most in June (4.7") and least in February (2.6"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Schenley Lock 5, PA, 12 miles southwest of Kittanning, has a last frost 13 days earlier (April 21), a first frost 14 days later (October 30), a season 26 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Kittanning usually arrives around December 3, and the last of the season around March 15. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ford City 4 S Dam, PA, 6.6 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 89% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 50 days after the last snow.

ZIP 16201 is 7 miles from Ford City 4 S Dam, PA, which stands at 930 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 16201 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.