FrostDateCheck

McDonald, OH 44515 Frost Dates

When can you plant in McDonald, OH?

Zone 6a

Around 05/01 is the usual last spring frost, about 246 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/17, about 167 frost-free days later.

McDonald sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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

About 7 weeks of growing season left in McDonald before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

Why 05/01 isn't a guarantee

05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/20 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How McDonald compares

At roughly 167 frost-free days, McDonald places 29,991 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within OH, it ranks 1,271 of 1,383.

Learn more

zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and McDonald's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around McDonald's dates instead of trusting one.