Scranton, PA 18509 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Scranton, PA, ZIP 18509
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/23, roughly 238 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/20, about 178 frost-free days later.
Scranton 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 Scranton has about 8 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
04/23 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 25,562 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within PA, it ranks 873 of 2,088.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Scranton's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Scranton can differ from the 18509 normal.