Smethport, PA 16749 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Smethport, PA?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/18, roughly 263 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/01, about 136 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Smethport in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Smethport before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Smethport compares
About 136 days separate Smethport's last and first frost, putting it 37,712 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within PA, it ranks 2,054 of 2,088.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Smethport's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Smethport's dates instead of trusting one.