Donegal, PA 15687 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Donegal, PA, ZIP 15687
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/01, roughly 246 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 164 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Donegal in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Donegal has about 7 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.
Why 05/01 isn't a guarantee
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/17 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 Donegal compares
About 164 days separate Donegal's last and first frost, putting it 31,249 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within PA, it ranks 1,641 of 2,088.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Donegal can differ from the 15687 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Donegal's frost date answer different questions.