Frost dates in Syracuse, 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 Syracuse is April 29, and the average first fall frost is October 19, from NOAA's Syracuse Hancock Intl Airport station, 5 miles from the middle of Syracuse. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 13, and the first one by October 2. That leaves about 173 frost-free days. Syracuse is in USDA planting zone 6a.
Weather stations around Syracuse
The first row is the date most people in Syracuse go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Syracuse Hancock Intl Airport 5 mi away, 413 ft | April 29 1 in 10 after May 13 | October 19 1 in 10 by October 2 | 173 days |
| Brewerton Lock 23 14 mi away, 377 ft | May 4 1 in 10 after May 19 | October 11 1 in 10 by September 27 | 160 days |
| Tully Heiberg Forest 20 mi away, 1,899 ft | May 12 1 in 10 after May 28 | October 5 1 in 10 by September 22 | 146 days |
| Auburn 22 mi away, 770 ft | May 2 1 in 10 after May 18 | October 18 1 in 10 by October 3 | 169 days |
| Fulton 22 mi away, 360 ft | April 27 1 in 10 after May 9 | October 24 1 in 10 by October 4 | 180 days |
Distances are from the middle of Syracuse 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 13202, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Syracuse 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 · Rochester
Nearby: 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