USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 18255 — Weatherly, Pennsylvania
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Lehighton 1SSW, PA (455 ft), 11 miles southeast.
Updated
In Weatherly, 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 23, as early as October 7 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 184 days (NOAA, Lehighton 1SSW, PA).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 23
- Growing season
- 184 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 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
Frost risk by date in Weatherly
Half of springs at Lehighton 1SSW, PA see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 9. Planting tender crops after April 28 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 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 23 in half of years, as early as October 7 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 22, 17 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 184 days in a typical year, longer than at 68% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 206 days one year in ten and falls short of 162 one year in ten. On average 132 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 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 13 and March 7.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 19 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 7 | May 10 | May 14 | May 20 |
| 32°F | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 2 | May 9 |
| 28°F | Mar 24 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 17 | Apr 22 |
| 24°F | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 |
| 20°F | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 23 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 |
| 16°F | Feb 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 |
| 32°F | Oct 7 | Oct 12 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 6 |
| 28°F | Oct 20 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 |
| 24°F | Nov 3 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 |
| 20°F | Nov 13 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 16 |
| 16°F | Nov 24 | Nov 30 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 | Dec 13 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 28 | Jan 5 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Lehighton 1SSW, 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 18255 →Compare Weatherly with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Francis E Walter Dam, PA, 13 miles northeast of Weatherly and 1,054 feet higher, has a last frost 16 days later (May 7), a first frost 17 days earlier (October 6), a season 31 days shorter.
When it snows in Weatherly, Pennsylvania
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Weatherly 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, 10.9 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 43 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 18255
| 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 July 31 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 9 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 23 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 18255 is 11 miles from Lehighton 1SSW, PA, which stands at 455 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 11 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 18235 (Lehighton). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 18255 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.