Frost Dates for 21532 — Frostburg, Maryland

Half of springs at Frostburg 2, MD see their last 32°F night by April 29; only one in ten is past it by April 14, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 5 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 9 20%, and after May 15 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 50% of the 50 Maryland stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 18 in half of years, as early as October 5 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 29; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 6, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 171 days in a typical year, shorter than at 92% of the 50 Maryland stations; it reaches 191 days one year in ten and falls short of 151 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 10 days longer, to about May 9, and return around October 7. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 17.

July is the warmest month at Frostburg 2, MD, averaging 79°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 34°F and 19°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 42% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,508 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 96% of the 50 Maryland stations. 34% of them (840) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 601. Precipitation totals 45.3 inches a year, most in May (5.2") and least in November (2.9"); May to September bring 47% of it.

The nearest other station, Cumberland 2, MD, 10 miles east of Frostburg and 1,440 feet lower, has a last frost 14 days earlier (April 15), a first frost 6 days later (October 24), a season 19 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Frostburg usually arrives around November 13, and the last of the season around April 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Frostburg 2, MD, 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 21 days after the last snow.

ZIP 21532 is under a mile from Frostburg 2, MD, which stands at 2,170 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 21532 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.