Frost Dates for 16353 — Tionesta, Pennsylvania

Half of springs at Tionesta 2 SE Lake, PA see their last 32°F night by May 1; 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 12 20%, and after May 18 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 50% 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 8 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 6, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 176 days in a typical year, longer than at 52% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 194 days one year in ten and falls short of 155 one year in ten. On average 145 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 11 days longer, to about May 12, and return around October 12. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 5 and March 17.

July is the warmest month at Tionesta 2 SE Lake, PA, averaging 83°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 35°F and 19°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November 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 51% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,858 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 59% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 33% of them (949) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 679. Precipitation totals 47.0 inches a year, most in June (5.1") and least in February (2.6"); May to September bring 48% of it.

The nearest other station, Cooksburg 2 NW, PA, 13 miles southeast of Tionesta and 250 feet higher, has a last frost 12 days later (May 13), a first frost 18 days earlier (October 7), a season 33 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Tionesta usually arrives around November 19, and the last of the season around April 1. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Tionesta 2 SE Lake, PA, 2.9 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 30 days after the last snow.

ZIP 16353 is 3 miles from Tionesta 2 SE Lake, PA, which stands at 1,200 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 16353 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.