Frost dates by ZIP code: The nearest NOAA stations to your ZIP, 1991-2020 normals
Enter a five-digit ZIP code. PlainClimate finds its center (Census Bureau 2024) and the five nearest NOAA stations with frost dates, and shows each station's last spring and first autumn 32°F dates with its distance and elevation.
Frost dates near ZIP 16801
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 16801 in zone 6b (the coldest night of a typical year: -5 to 0°F).
The nearest station, State College, PA, is 1 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 20 in half of years and after May 6 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 7a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State College, PA | 1 mi | 1,170 ft | April 20 | May 6 | October 26 | 7a |
| Clarence, PA | 19 mi | 1,390 ft | May 21 | June 1 | September 27 | 5b |
| Lewistown, PA | 20 mi | 460 ft | April 21 | May 9 | October 24 | 7a |
| Millheim, PA | 20 mi | 1,120 ft | May 5 | May 24 | October 6 | 6b |
| Philipsburg, PA2 mi S | 20 mi | 1,720 ft | May 13 | May 29 | October 1 | 6a |
Frost comes later in spring at higher and colder stations and earlier in low, open ground: prefer a station at a similar elevation to yours. Hardiness zone in the table: the USDA's rule (the average of each year's coldest night, 1991-2020) applied to the station's own record.
Every frost threshold at State College
NOAA publishes the dates for several temperatures and odds. A 30% spring date means a 3-in-10 chance of a later frost (the convention almanacs use); 50% is the median; 10% the cautious date.
| Threshold | Spring, 10% | Spring, 30% | Spring, 50% | Spring, 90% | Autumn, 50% | Autumn, 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F (light frost) | May 18 | May 8 | May 1 | April 18 | October 14 | October 1 |
| 32°F | May 6 | April 27 | April 20 | April 7 | October 26 | October 10 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 23 | April 15 | April 8 | March 26 | November 5 | October 23 |
| 24°F | April 9 | April 2 | March 30 | March 14 | November 16 | November 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals; ZIP centers: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. Autumn 10%: one year in ten has its first frost before this date.