Philmont, NY 12502 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Philmont, NY, ZIP 12502
Around 05/04 is the usual last spring frost, about 249 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 160 frost-free days later.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Philmont, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Philmont has about 6 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/22 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Philmont compares
Philmont's growing season runs about 160 days, ranking 32,404 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NY, it ranks 1,117 of 1,951.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Philmont's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Philmont can differ from the 12502 normal.