Frost Dates for 18848 — Towanda, Pennsylvania

Half of springs at Towanda 1 S, 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 16. Planting tender crops after May 8 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 11 20%, and after May 16 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 86% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 15 in half of years, as early as October 1 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 15 days later, around October 30; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 5, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 165 days in a typical year, shorter than at 67% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations; it reaches 185 days one year in ten and falls short of 145 one year in ten. On average 143 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 11 days longer, to about May 13, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 19.

July is the warmest month at Towanda 1 S, PA, averaging 84°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 35°F and 17°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November 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 53% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,695 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 67% of the 176 Pennsylvania stations. 33% of them (882) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 666. Precipitation totals 38.7 inches a year, most in July (4.0") and least in February (1.9"); May to September bring 49% of it.

The nearest other station, Dushore, PA, 17 miles south of Towanda and 770 feet higher, has a last frost 12 days later (May 14), a first frost 13 days earlier (October 2), a season 22 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Towanda usually arrives around November 18, and the last of the season around April 1. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Towanda 1 S, PA, 0.9 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 31 days after the last snow.

ZIP 18848 is under a mile from Towanda 1 S, PA, which stands at 760 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 18848 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.