Frost dates in Rochester, 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 Rochester is April 24, and the average first fall frost is October 25, from NOAA's Rochester Gtr Intl Airport station, 5 miles from the middle of Rochester. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 8, and the first one by October 8. That leaves about 184 frost-free days. Rochester is in USDA planting zone 6b.
Weather stations around Rochester
The first row is the date most people in Rochester go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rochester Gtr Intl Airport 5 mi away, 533 ft | April 24 1 in 10 after May 8 | October 25 1 in 10 by October 8 | 184 days |
| Webster 2 NE 13 mi away, 275 ft | May 1 1 in 10 after May 16 | October 20 1 in 10 by October 4 | 172 days |
| Victor 2NW 14 mi away, 588 ft | May 2 1 in 10 after May 18 | October 17 1 in 10 by October 2 | 168 days |
| Brockport 17 mi away, 498 ft | April 24 1 in 10 after May 7 | October 30 1 in 10 by October 12 | 189 days |
| Avon 19 mi away, 545 ft | May 3 1 in 10 after May 15 | October 15 1 in 10 by October 1 | 165 days |
Distances are from the middle of Rochester 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 14605, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Rochester 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 · Buffalo · Yonkers · Syracuse
Nearby: Pittsburgh, PA · Paterson, NJ
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