Frost Dates for 16946 — Tioga, Pennsylvania

Half of springs at Tioga Hammond Dam, PA see their last 32°F night by May 6; only one in ten is past it by April 24, and one in ten still has one after May 23. Planting tender crops after May 12 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 17 20%, and after May 23 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 10 in half of years, as early as September 30 one year in ten, and holds off past October 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 16 days later, around October 26; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 11, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 158 days in a typical year, shorter than at 77% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 179 days one year in ten and falls short of 136 one year in ten. On average 154 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 13 days longer, to about May 19, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 30 and March 26.

July is the warmest month at Tioga Hammond Dam, PA, averaging 82°F by day and 58°F at night; January is the coldest at 32°F and 15°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 68% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,382 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 82% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 32% of them (751) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 609. Precipitation totals 36.4 inches a year, most in June (3.8") and least in February (1.7"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Cowanesque Dam, PA, 5 miles north of Tioga, has a last frost 3 days later (May 9), a first frost 2 days later (October 12), a season 3 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Tioga usually arrives around November 19, and the last of the season around April 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Tioga Hammond Dam, PA, 1.8 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 34 days after the last snow.

ZIP 16946 is 2 miles from Tioga Hammond Dam, PA, which stands at 1,230 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 16933 (Mansfield). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 16946 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.