Frost dates in Buffalo, New York
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.
Short answer
The average last spring frost in Buffalo is April 24, and the average first fall frost is October 26, from NOAA's Buffalo station, 7 miles from the middle of Buffalo. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 9, and the first one by October 10. That leaves about 185 frost-free days. Buffalo is in USDA planting zone 6b.
Weather stations around Buffalo
The first row is the date most people in Buffalo go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo 7 mi away, 693 ft | April 24 1 in 10 after May 9 | October 26 1 in 10 by October 10 | 185 days |
| N Tonawanda 11 mi away, 578 ft | May 6 1 in 10 after May 19 | October 15 1 in 10 by September 30 | 162 days |
| Niagara Falls 14 mi away, 588 ft | April 26 1 in 10 after May 11 | October 25 1 in 10 by October 7 | 182 days |
| Niagara Falls Intl Airport 15 mi away, 585 ft | May 1 1 in 10 after May 15 | October 19 1 in 10 by October 3 | 171 days |
| Wales 17 mi away, 1,135 ft | May 7 1 in 10 after May 23 | October 10 1 in 10 by September 27 | 156 days |
Distances are from the middle of Buffalo as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 14204, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Buffalo covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.
How these dates work
Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.
The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.
More frost dates
All of New York, station by station.
Other New York cities: New York · Yonkers · Rochester · Syracuse
Nearby: Cleveland, OH · Pittsburgh, PA
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer