Erie, PA 16506 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Erie, PA, ZIP 16506
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/26, roughly 241 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 11/04, about 192 frost-free days later.
Erie sits in USDA Zone 6b (-5 to 0°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6b around Erie has about 10 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
04/26 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Erie compares
Erie's growing season runs about 192 days, ranking 20,104 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within PA, it ranks 509 of 2,088.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Erie can differ from the 16506 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6b and Erie's frost date answer different questions.