Scranton, PA 18503 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Scranton, PA?
Around 04/23 is the usual last spring frost, about 238 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/20, about 178 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Scranton in Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 8 weeks of growing season left in Scranton before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Scranton's last frost
04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/09 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Scranton compares
Scranton's growing season runs about 178 days, ranking 25,559 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within PA, it ranks 870 of 2,088.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Scranton can differ from the 18503 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6b and Scranton's frost date answer different questions.