Butler, PA 16017 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Butler, PA, ZIP 16017
Around 04/16 is the usual last spring frost, about 231 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/02, about 199 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Butler 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 Butler has about 9 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 04/16 isn't a guarantee
04/16 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/31 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/02 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Butler compares
Butler's growing season runs about 199 days, ranking 18,057 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within PA, it ranks 286 of 2,088.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Butler's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Butler can differ from the 16017 normal.