U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00361838 · Pennsylvania

Frost Dates near Elkland, PA

NOAA weather station Cowanesque Dam (USC00361838), Pennsylvania · elevation 1150 ft (351 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

Elkland is the nearest town to the station (7.9 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 25only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 950% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season155 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Elkland, PASpring: a frost after April 25 in 9 years out of 10, after May 9 in half of the years, after May 25 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 29 in 1 year out of 10, before October 12 in half of the years, before October 28 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 155 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 9First frost ~Oct 12Frost season near Elkland, PASpring: a frost after April 25 in 9 years out of 10, after May 9 in half of the years, after May 25 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 29 in 1 year out of 10, before October 12 in half of the years, before October 28 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 155 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 9First frost ~Oct 12
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 25September 29
50% (typical)May 9October 12
90% (likely)April 25October 28
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
155 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 29
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 26

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 7 (2 days earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 19 (7 days later). Frost-free season 162 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring near Elkland: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 25, 20% May 20, 30% May 16, 40% May 12, 50% May 9, 60% May 5, 70% May 2, 80% April 29, 90% April 25. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 11, 2022 May 9, 2023 May 19, 2024 April 27, 2025 April 19, 2026 May 13.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 25May 9Apr 252021: May 112022: May 92023: May 192024: April 272025: April 192026: May 13Fall near Elkland: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 29, 20% October 2, 30% October 5, 40% October 9, 50% October 12, 60% October 16, 70% October 19, 80% October 24, 90% October 28. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 4, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 31, 2024 October 17, 2025 October 10.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 29Oct 12Oct 282021: November 42022: October 182023: October 312024: October 172025: October 10
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021May 11November 4
2022May 9October 18
2023May 19October 31
2024April 27October 17
2025April 19October 10
2026May 13season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 25, the cautious spring date with a 10 % chance of a later light frost, marks the point when a gardener can set out tender crops with minimal risk. The 50 % date of May 9 (light frost) and October 12 (light frost) represent an even chance of a frost occurring; similarly, the 50 % hard-frost dates are April 29 and October 26, and they are not frost events but indicate when the odds are split, helping a gardener gauge the balance of risk. September 29, the cautious fall date with a 10 % chance of an earlier light frost, is the date to finish harvesting tender crops before frost becomes more probable. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 25" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before September 29" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Elkland, PANumbered nearest stations: 1 — Elmira, NY — 18 mi; 2 — Canton, PA — 28 mi; 3 — Towanda, PA — 40 mi; 4 — near Ithaca, NY — 48 mi; 5 — Dansville, NY — 49 mi.NYPA25 mi · 40 km1. Elmira, NY — 18 mi12. Canton, PA — 28 mi23. Towanda, PA — 40 mi34. near Ithaca, NY — 48 mi45. Dansville, NY — 49 mi5
  1. Elmira, NY 18 mi (29 km)
  2. Canton, PA 28 mi (46 km)
  3. Towanda, PA 40 mi (65 km)
  4. near Ithaca, NY 48 mi (77 km)
  5. Dansville, NY 49 mi (79 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 41.9906, -77.1567.