USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 18405 — Beach Lake, Pennsylvania
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Milanville, PA (760 ft), 6 miles north.
Updated
In Beach Lake, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 3 in half of years and has passed by May 21 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 9, as early as September 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 156 days (NOAA, Milanville, PA).
- Last spring frost
- May 3
- First fall frost
- October 9
- Growing season
- 156 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 6
- Last snow
- March 22
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 47.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
24 of 24 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Beach Lake
Half of springs at Milanville, PA see their last 32°F night by May 3; only one in ten is past it by April 19, and one in ten still has one after May 21. Planting tender crops after May 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 15 20%, and after May 21 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 9 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 24 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 14 days later, around October 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 8, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 156 days in a typical year, shorter than at 81% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 179 days one year in ten and falls short of 134 one year in ten. On average 152 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 16, and return around September 28. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 23 and March 21.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 29 | May 5 | May 9 | May 13 | May 16 | May 20 | May 23 | May 26 | May 30 |
| 32°F | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 7 | May 11 | May 15 | May 21 |
| 28°F | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 | May 1 | May 8 |
| 24°F | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 18 | Apr 23 |
| 20°F | Mar 15 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 30 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 11 |
| 16°F | Mar 6 | Mar 12 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 16 | Sep 21 | Sep 23 | Sep 26 | Sep 28 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 |
| 32°F | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 24 |
| 28°F | Oct 6 | Oct 11 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 |
| 24°F | Oct 20 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 16 |
| 20°F | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 9 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Milanville, 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 18405 →Compare Beach Lake with another place →
Weather by month in Beach Lake
July is the warmest month at Milanville, PA, averaging 82°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 33°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 57% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 2,484 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 79% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 33% of them (820) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 631.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 15 | 100% | 30 | 0 |
| Feb | 37 | 17 | 100% | 27 | 0 |
| Mar | 46 | 24 | 100% | 25 | 9 |
| Apr | 59 | 35 | 100% | 13 | 72 |
| May | 71 | 45 | 57% | 1 | 262 |
| Jun | 78 | 54 | 0% | 0 | 477 |
| Jul | 82 | 59 | 0% | 0 | 631 |
| Aug | 80 | 57 | 0% | 0 | 572 |
| Sep | 74 | 49 | 20% | 0 | 348 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 97% | 7 | 102 |
| Nov | 49 | 29 | 100% | 22 | 10 |
| Dec | 38 | 21 | 100% | 27 | 1 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Milanville, PA (760 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, Hawley 1 E, PA, 9 miles south of Beach Lake, has a last frost 7 days later (May 10), a first frost 5 days earlier (October 4), a season 10 days shorter.
When it snows in Beach Lake, Pennsylvania
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Beach Lake usually arrives around December 6, and the last of the season around March 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Hawley 1 E, PA, 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 42 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 18405
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 22 – March 8 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 8 – March 22 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 5 – April 19 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 3 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 17 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 25 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 9 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 18405 is 6 miles from Milanville, PA, which stands at 760 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 18405 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.
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.