New York frost dates

Average last spring and first fall frost dates for New York’s largest cities, with each city’s USDA hardiness zone.

Reviewed October 2026

Among New York’s 20 largest cities, the average last spring frost ranges from Apr 1 in New York to May 11 in Ithaca. Elevation, distance from the coast and city heat all shift the date, so use your own ZIP code below for the closest match.

City	Average last spring frost	Average first fall frost	Frost-free days	Hardiness zone	Weather station used
New York	Apr 1	Nov 19	232	7b	Ny Ave V Brooklyn, NY, 5 mi
Buffalo	Apr 24	Oct 26	185	6b	Buffalo, NY, 7 mi
Yonkers	Apr 20	Oct 26	189	7a–7b	Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley, NY, 5 mi
Rochester	Apr 24	Oct 25	184	6b	Rochester Gtr Intl Airport, NY, 5 mi
Syracuse	Apr 29	Oct 19	173	6a	Syracuse Hancock Intl Airport, NY, 5 mi
Albany	Apr 27	Oct 15	171	6a	Albany Airport, NY, 5 mi
New Rochelle	Apr 20	Oct 26	189	7b	Dobbs Ferry-Ardsley, NY, 6 mi
Mount Vernon	Apr 1	Nov 16	229	7b	Bronx, NY, 5 mi
Schenectady	Apr 27	Oct 15	171	5b–6a	Albany Airport, NY, 7 mi
Utica	May 1	Oct 13	165	5b	Utica Oneida Co Airport, NY, 9 mi
White Plains	Apr 12	Oct 31	202	7a–7b	Westchester Co Airport, NY, 4 mi
Hempstead	Apr 2	Nov 12	224	7b	Mineola, NY, 2 mi
Troy	Apr 19	Oct 26	190	6a	Troy L&D, NY
Niagara Falls	Apr 26	Oct 25	182	6b	Niagara Falls, NY, 2 mi
Binghamton	May 2	Oct 11	162	6a	Binghamton, NY, 8 mi
Freeport	Apr 7	Nov 8	215	7b	Oceanside, NY, 3 mi
Kiryas Joel	Apr 10	Nov 1	205	6b	West Point, NY, 11 mi
Valley Stream	Apr 2	Nov 14	226	7b	New York Jfk Intl Airport, NY, 4 mi
Long Beach	Apr 7	Nov 8	215	7b	Oceanside, NY, 4 mi
Ithaca	May 11	Oct 3	145	6a	Ithaca Cornell Univ, NY, 3 mi

Frost dates are the dates after (spring) or before (fall) which the chance of a 32°F freeze is below 50%, from NOAA’s 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals for the weather station nearest each city’s center. Zones are from the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map for the ZIP codes around each city; a range means nearby ZIP codes differ. Cities are the 20 largest by Census Bureau 2024 population estimates.

An average is not a guarantee. There’s still about a 1 in 2 chance of frost after the average last spring date. Many gardeners wait an extra week or two before setting out tomatoes, peppers and basil, and keep covers handy.

Planting dates for New York

Timed from New York’s average last frost of Apr 1, using University of New Hampshire Extension’s planting guidance. For your exact dates, enter your ZIP code in the calendar below.

Crop	Start seeds indoors	Plant outside
Tomatoes	Feb 11 to Feb 25	Apr 8 to Apr 15
Peppers	Feb 4 to Feb 18	Apr 15
Lettuce	Jan 28 to Feb 4	Mar 4 to Mar 11
Broccoli	Jan 21 to Feb 4	Mar 4 to Mar 18
Cucumbers	Mar 11 to Mar 18	Apr 8 to Apr 15
Basil	Feb 18 to Mar 4	Apr 15

When to plant, for your garden

Your seed-starting and planting dates, timed from your last spring frost. Full calendar, 12 crops.

ZIP code

Last frost date

Enter your ZIP code to look up your average last frost date and hardiness zone, or type the date in yourself.

Frost dates: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020. Hardiness zones: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023, ZIP code data from PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed Oct. 20, 2026.

More about frost dates

How to find your last frost date, and what your zone means · Full planting calendar · How to start seeds indoors

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