Skip to content

USDA Hardiness Zone 6b

Frost Dates for 18337 — Milford, Pennsylvania

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Matamoras, PA (459 ft), 10 miles northeast.

Updated

In Milford, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 2 in half of years and has passed by May 17 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 12, as early as October 1 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 164 days (NOAA, Matamoras, PA).

Last spring frost
May 2

50% probability

First fall frost
October 12

50% probability

Growing season
164 days

freeze-free, 50%

Hardiness zone
6b

-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night

First snow
November 25

median, 1991–2020

Last snow
April 6

median, 1991–2020

Winters with snow
100%

20 of 20 observed

Snow per year
40.8"

NOAA normal

Frost risk by date in Milford

Half of springs at Matamoras, PA see their last 32°F night by May 2; only one in ten is past it by April 20, and one in ten still has one after May 17. Planting tender crops after May 8 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 11 20%, and after May 17 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 72% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 12 in half of years, as early as October 1 one year in ten, and holds off past October 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 4, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 164 days in a typical year, shorter than at 68% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 181 days one year in ten and falls short of 144 one year in ten. On average 151 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 14, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 15.

Spring: the chance of another night this cold after the date
Low90%80%70%60%50%40%30%20%10%
36°FApr 30May 3May 8May 11May 14May 17May 20May 23May 28
32°FApr 20Apr 24Apr 26Apr 30May 2May 5May 8May 11May 17
28°FApr 8Apr 12Apr 15Apr 17Apr 20Apr 23Apr 26Apr 30May 4
24°FMar 27Mar 31Apr 3Apr 5Apr 7Apr 10Apr 12Apr 16Apr 21
20°FMar 10Mar 16Mar 20Mar 25Mar 28Mar 31Apr 2Apr 4Apr 8
16°FFeb 28Mar 4Mar 9Mar 12Mar 15Mar 18Mar 23Mar 26Mar 31
Fall: the chance the first night this cold has come by the date
Low10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FSep 22Sep 27Sep 30Oct 1Oct 3Oct 5Oct 7Oct 11Oct 16
32°FOct 1Oct 3Oct 6Oct 9Oct 12Oct 14Oct 17Oct 21Oct 27
28°FOct 9Oct 13Oct 18Oct 20Oct 23Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 5
24°FOct 20Oct 25Oct 30Nov 1Nov 3Nov 6Nov 10Nov 15Nov 20
20°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 10Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 23Nov 29Dec 3
16°FNov 14Nov 19Nov 23Nov 26Dec 1Dec 3Dec 7Dec 13Dec 20

Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Matamoras, 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 18337 →Compare Milford with another place →

Weather by month in Milford

July is the warmest month at Matamoras, PA, averaging 82°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 34°F and 16°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October 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 54% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,506 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 78% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 32% of them (807) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 628. Precipitation totals 47.3 inches a year, most in June (5.4") and least in February (2.9"); May to September bring 45% of it.

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Matamoras, PA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. in32°F nightNights ≤ 32°FGDD 50°F
Jan34163.1100%290
Feb37172.9100%270
Mar46253.9100%259
Apr59343.9100%1263
May70453.354%2248
Jun78555.40%0486
Jul82593.70%0628
Aug81574.40%0587
Sep74514.79%<1366
Oct62394.796%9105
Nov50293.3100%2012
Dec40234.0100%272

Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Matamoras, PA (459 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.

Compared with the next station

The nearest other station, Port Jervis, NY, 11 miles northeast of Milford, has a last frost 3 days later (May 5), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 10), a season 6 days shorter.

Frost dates for 12771 (Port Jervis) →

When it snows in Milford, Pennsylvania

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Milford usually arrives around November 25, and the last of the season around April 6. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Matamoras, PA, 10 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 26 days after the last snow.

Planting calendar for 18337

What to do and when, from the 50% frost dates for Milford, Pennsylvania
WhenWhat to do
February 21 – March 7Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out.
March 7 – March 21Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early.
April 4 – April 18Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil.
May 2 onwardTransplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast.
by July 20Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops.
by September 28Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation.
October 12 onwardPlant 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 18337 is 10 miles from Matamoras, PA, which stands at 459 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 18337 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.

ZIP codes measured at the same station

Other zone 6b places in Pennsylvania