Frost Dates for 18840 — Sayre, Pennsylvania

Half of springs at Waverly, NY see their last 32°F night by May 6; only one in ten is past it by April 22, and one in ten still has one after May 22. Planting tender crops after May 12 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 16 20%, and after May 22 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 51% 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 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 15 days later, around October 25; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 10, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 157 days in a typical year, shorter than at 80% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 177 days one year in ten and falls short of 135 one year in ten. On average 149 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 18, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 27 and March 23.

July is the warmest month at Waverly, NY, averaging 83°F by day and 58°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 August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 64% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,609 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 71% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 33% of them (851) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 648. Precipitation totals 36.7 inches a year, most in June (4.3") and least in February (1.8"); May to September bring 50% of it.

The nearest other station, Spencer 1 NE, NY, 16 miles north of Sayre and 325 feet higher, has a last frost 6 days later (May 12), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 3), a season 14 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Sayre usually arrives around December 3, and the last of the season around March 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Waverly, NY, 1.3 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 45 days after the last snow.

ZIP 18840 is 1 mile from Waverly, NY, which stands at 845 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 5 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 18840 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.