NOAA station USC00367931 · Pennsylvania
Frost Dates for Selinsgrove, PA
NOAA weather station Selinsgrove 2 S (USC00367931), Pennsylvania · elevation 420 ft (128 m) · hardiness zone 6b*
- Lower-risk planting dateafter May 10only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
- Typical last frostApril 2550% chance of a frost after it
- Typical first fall frostOctober 2250% chance of a frost before it
- Frost-free season178 daystypical year, 32°F
- Hardiness zone6bcalculated*
The year at a glance
Frost dates (32°F)
| Chance | Last frost in spring after | First frost in fall before |
|---|---|---|
| 10% (unlikely) | May 10 | October 7 |
| 50% (typical) | April 25 | October 22 |
| 90% (likely) | April 9 | November 3 |
- Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
- 178 days
- Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
- April 10
- Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
- November 1
The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)
Typical last frost April 24 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 24 (2 days later). Frost-free season 180 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
What actually happened in recent years
| Year | Last spring frost | First fall frost |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | April 24 | November 3 |
| 2022 | May 9 | October 21 |
| 2023 | April 25 | November 1 |
| 2024 | April 23 | October 18 |
| 2025 | April 17 | October 27 |
| 2026 | April 22 | season not over yet |
What these dates mean
Setting out tender crops on April 9 in Selinsgrove carries a 90 % chance of a light frost later in spring, so planting then is a gamble for gardeners. The cautious alternative is May 10, when only a 10 % chance of a later frost remains, offering a much lower risk for delicate seedlings.
The 50 % spring date of April 25 marks the point where a light frost is equally likely to occur before or after that day; similarly, October 22 is the 50 % fall date where a light frost is equally likely to have happened earlier or later. For a low-risk finish to tender-crop harvest, October 7 is the cautious fall date with only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived earlier. These median dates are not frost events themselves but serve as reference points for the probability curve.
A hard frost at 28 °F, indicated by the median dates April 10 and November 1, can damage plants more severely than a light 32 °F frost.
How to read the probabilities
The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.
- Spring: "10% after May 10" 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 October 7" 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
- Williamsport, PA 32 mi (51 km)
- Lebanon, PA 37 mi (60 km)
- Lock Haven, PA 38 mi (62 km)
- Lewistown, PA 39 mi (64 km)
- near Middletown, PA 41 mi (66 km)
Sources
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, station USC00367931
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals
- PRISM Group, Oregon State University — 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone GIS datasets
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 2006–2020 (15-year normals), station USC00367931
- NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network – Daily (GHCN-Daily), observed daily minimum temperature, retrieved 2026-10-08
* Hardiness zone 6b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.
Station coordinates: 40.7831, -76.8617.