USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 16229 — Freeport, Pennsylvania
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Schenley Lock 5, PA (783 ft), 2 miles south.
Updated
In Freeport, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 9 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 30, as early as October 15 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 190 days (NOAA, Schenley Lock 5, PA).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 30
- Growing season
- 190 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 14
- Last snow
- March 5
- Winters with snow
- 96%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
25 of 26 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Freeport
Half of springs at Schenley Lock 5, PA see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 6, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after April 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 9 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 70% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 30 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 12 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 11; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 190 days in a typical year, longer than at 80% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 210 days one year in ten and falls short of 170 one year in ten. On average 118 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 3, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 18 and March 5.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 6 | May 9 | May 14 | May 19 |
| 32°F | Apr 6 | Apr 11 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | May 1 | May 9 |
| 28°F | Mar 23 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 23 |
| 24°F | Mar 11 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 11 |
| 20°F | Feb 28 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 |
| 16°F | Feb 13 | Feb 22 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 4 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 |
| 32°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 |
| 28°F | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 27 |
| 24°F | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 9 |
| 20°F | Nov 14 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 17 | Dec 24 |
| 16°F | Nov 26 | Dec 3 | Dec 10 | Dec 14 | Dec 18 | Dec 22 | Dec 26 | Dec 31 | Jan 8 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Schenley Lock 5, 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 16229 →Compare Freeport with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Ford City 4 S Dam, PA, 7 miles east of Freeport, has a last frost 13 days later (May 4), a first frost 14 days earlier (October 16), a season 26 days shorter.
When it snows in Freeport, Pennsylvania
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Freeport usually arrives around December 14, and the last of the season around March 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Schenley Lock 5, PA, 2.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 96% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 47 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 16229
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 7 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 16 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 30 onward | Plant 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 16229 is 2 miles from Schenley Lock 5, PA, which stands at 783 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 4 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 15656 (Leechburg). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 16229 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.