Your nature year
Lancaster, Pennsylvaniathrough the year
Also for Harrisburg, PA, York, PA: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Lancaster?
Spring green-up reaches town around Mar 26, with first blooms around Apr 25. Frost usually lets go around Apr 19 and comes back around Oct 24, according to the Lancaster 2 NE Filt Plt weather station (1.5 mi): roughly 188 days without it. Across Pennsylvania, fall color is usually well under way by late October. Within 150 miles we follow 22 places, out to Bear Mountain and West Point 149 miles to the northeast. The closest place we follow is Baltimore (Fort McHenry), 55 miles away, for cherry blossoms, usually at its best Mar 24–Apr 7. Catoctin Mountain (66 mi) is the pick for fall foliage, usually well under way by late October (statewide). The town is about 380 feet above sea level.
Updated Sep 28. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Lancaster's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 19 to ~Oct 24
- First leaf ~Mar 26
- First bloom ~Apr 25
- Fall color under way ~Oct 25 (PA)
- Today
Near Lancaster right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by late October in PennsylvaniaStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~4 weeks
- First fall frost usually around Oct 24 · last spring frost around Apr 19NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Lancaster 2 NE Filt Plt (1.5 mi, 50% dates)~4 weeks
- Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens · 86 mi · Local timing: May 21–Sep 30Wildflowers · in its window now
- Fall foliage · Catoctin Mountain · 66 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~4 weeks
Lancaster's nature year
- Cherry blossoms · Baltimore (Fort McHenry)Mar–Apr
- Spring green-upMar
- Wildflowers · Catoctin MountainApr–May
- Last spring frostApr
- Tulips · Washington, DCApr
- Fall color (PA)Oct
- First fall frostOct
Nearby, season by season
Cherry blossoms
- Baltimore (Fort McHenry) · 55 miusually Mar 24–Apr 7~6 months
- US National Arboretum · 86 miusually Mar 1–Apr 30~5 months
- Washington, DC · 89 miusually Mar 25–Apr 7~6 months
Fall foliage
- Catoctin Mountain · 66 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~4 weeks
- Patuxent Research Refuge · 75 miusually Oct 21–31~3 weeks
- Gambrill State Park · 75 miStatewide: usually well under way by late October~4 weeks
Tulips
- Washington, DC · 89 miLocal timing: Apr 1–20~6 months
Wildflowers
- Catoctin Mountain · 66 miLocal timing: Apr 1–May 31~6 months
- Bombay Hook · 70 miLocal timing: Apr 1–May 31~6 months
- Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens · 86 miLocal timing: May 21–Sep 30
Snow in Lancaster
Snow usually becomes possible around Jan 24 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Lancaster 2 NE Filt Plt (1.5 mi away): 21 inches of snow in an average year, about 5.7 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 19
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 24
About 188 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Mar 26
First bloom around Apr 25
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Lancaster 2 NE Filt Plt (1.5 mi from Lancaster), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Lancaster?
On average around Oct 24, and the last spring frost around Apr 19: about 188 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Lancaster 2 NE Filt Plt, 1.5 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Lancaster?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Mar 26 and first bloom around Apr 25, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see cherry blossoms near Lancaster?
Baltimore (Fort McHenry), 55 miles (usually Mar 24–Apr 7); US National Arboretum, 86 miles (usually Mar 1–Apr 30); Washington, DC, 89 miles (usually Mar 25–Apr 7). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see fall foliage near Lancaster?
Catoctin Mountain, 66 miles (statewide: usually well under way by late October); Patuxent Research Refuge, 75 miles (usually Oct 21–31); Gambrill State Park, 75 miles (statewide: usually well under way by late October). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Lancaster?
Snow usually becomes possible around Jan 24: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Lancaster 2 NE Filt Plt. An average year brings 21 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28)