USDA Hardiness Zone 6a
Frost Dates for 26525 — Bruceton Mills, West Virginia
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Sines Deep Creek, MD (2,040 ft), 13 miles southeast.
Updated
In Bruceton Mills, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 9 in half of years and has passed by May 30 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 11, as early as September 27 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 155 days (NOAA, Sines Deep Creek, MD).
- Last spring frost
- May 9
- First fall frost
- October 11
- Growing season
- 155 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
- November 7
- Last snow
- April 10
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 88.8"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
22 of 22 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Bruceton Mills
Half of springs at Sines Deep Creek, MD see their last 32°F night by May 9; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 30. Planting tender crops after May 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 23 20%, and after May 30 10%. The 21 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 89% of the 84 West Virginia stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so a fixed calendar date is a gamble here.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 11 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 13 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 17, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 155 days in a typical year, shorter than at 98% of the 84 West Virginia stations; it reaches 177 days one year in ten and falls short of 130 one year in ten. On average 160 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 15 days longer, to about May 24, and return around September 30. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 28 and March 19.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 4 | May 12 | May 17 | May 20 | May 24 | May 27 | May 31 | Jun 2 | Jun 7 |
| 32°F | Apr 21 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 9 | May 14 | May 18 | May 23 | May 30 |
| 28°F | Apr 6 | Apr 12 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 9 | May 17 |
| 24°F | Mar 24 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 19 | Apr 27 |
| 20°F | Mar 12 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 11 |
| 16°F | Mar 2 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 17 | Sep 21 | Sep 24 | Sep 28 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 |
| 32°F | Sep 27 | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 24 |
| 28°F | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 6 |
| 24°F | Oct 21 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 |
| 20°F | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 22 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 |
| 16°F | Nov 10 | Nov 16 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 19 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Sines Deep Creek, MD, 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 26525 →Compare Bruceton Mills with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Chalk Hill 2 ENE, PA, 14 miles north of Bruceton Mills, has a last frost 10 days later (May 19), a first frost 10 days earlier (October 1), a season 20 days shorter.
When it snows in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Bruceton Mills usually arrives around November 7, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Chalk Hill 2 ENE, PA, 13.9 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 29 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 26525
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 28 – March 14 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 14 – March 28 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 11 – April 25 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 9 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 19 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 27 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 11 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 26525 is 13 miles from Sines Deep Creek, MD, which stands at 2,040 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 26525 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 West Virginia →
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.