USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 18240 — Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania
Averages from Lehighton 1ssw, PA US, the nearest reporting station, 8.3 miles away.
Plant tender crops after April 21, and expect the first autumn freeze around October 23. That leaves about 184 frost-free days.
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 23
- Growing season
- 184 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
frost-free
-5 to 0°F annual low
- First snow
- December 18
- Last snow
- March 9
- Winters with snow
- 96%
- Snow per year
- 27.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
26 of 27 observed
NOAA normal
When it snows in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania usually arrives around December 18, and the last of the season around March 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lehighton 1ssw, PA US: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 96% of those winters.
For a gardener, snow matters less than frost: a light snow on frozen ground changes nothing, while a hard frost on an unprotected bed ends the season. Use the frost dates above for planting and the snow dates for getting hoses drained, mulch down and tender pots indoors.
Planting calendar for 18240
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoors They need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoors Six to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoors These tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbers The average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 31 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicas They need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 9 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover them A first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 23 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbs Garlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
What these dates mean
Wait until after April 21 to put tender plants — tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash — in the ground. That is the date by which half of years in Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania are past their last freeze. Harvest before October 23, which leaves roughly 184 frost-free days.
ZIP 18240 sits in USDA hardiness zone 6b, meaning the average coldest night of the year falls between -5 to 0°F. Zone decides what survives the winter; frost dates decide when to plant each spring. They are different questions, and a plant can pass one and fail the other.
These are thirty-year NOAA averages for 1991–2020, not a forecast. Any individual year can frost two to three weeks either side of these dates, so check the actual forecast before planting out.