Schenectady, New York, United States

Frost dates for Schenectady

The full distribution rather than a single date. Every figure below is a percentile of 30 years of daily minimum temperatures at this location, expressed as the date it fell on.

Median last spring frost

30 April

Half of years are later than this. Not a planting date.

Median first autumn frost

18 October

The far end of the outdoor season.

Frost-free season

171 days

Between those two dates in a median year.

Last and first frost by severity

Read a row as: in this fraction of years, the last frost of spring had already happened by this date. The 90% column is the cautious planting date; the 10% column is the gamble.

Light frost — nights at or below 0°C (32°F). Air temperature reaches freezing. Kills basil, beans and unhardened tomatoes; hardy crops shrug it off.
Frost 1 year in 10 Median 9 years in 10 Earliest Latest
Last of spring 22 Apr 30 Apr 15 May 15 Apr 23 May
First of autumn 5 Oct 18 Oct 29 Oct 29 Sep 2 Nov
Frost-free days 190 171 143 every year on record saw this
Moderate frost — nights at or below -2.2°C (28°F). Damages half-hardy plants and most blossom. This is the threshold that decides a fruit crop.
Frost 1 year in 10 Median 9 years in 10 Earliest Latest
Last of spring 13 Apr 26 Apr 2 May 9 Apr 14 May
First of autumn 13 Oct 28 Oct 5 Nov 30 Sep 9 Nov
Frost-free days 207 186 165 every year on record saw this
Hard frost — nights at or below -4.4°C (24.1°F). Ground freezes and even hardy crops check their growth. Effectively the end of the outdoor year.
Frost 1 year in 10 Median 9 years in 10 Earliest Latest
Last of spring 26 Mar 9 Apr 24 Apr 25 Mar 30 Apr
First of autumn 28 Oct 8 Nov 19 Nov 19 Oct 1 Dec
Frost-free days 238 213 187 every year on record saw this

Dates in the southern hemisphere are computed on a growing year that starts in July, which is why "last of spring" falls where it should rather than in the middle of the calendar.

Chance of frost, week by week

Jan Mar Apr Jul Sep Oct Dec
Chance of at least one air frost during each week of the year, measured across the full record. The flat stretch in the middle is your frost-free season.

Temperature through the year

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Mean monthly temperature across the record. Months shown in blue average at least one air frost.

Monthly means and average number of frost nights.
Month Mean low Mean high Frost nights
January -10.7°C -1.7°C 29.6
February -10°C 0°C 27.5
March -5.1°C 5.5°C 26.8
April 0.7°C 13.1°C 13.4
May 7.7°C 19.9°C 0.8
June 13°C 24.2°C 0
July 15.8°C 26.6°C 0
August 15.1°C 26.2°C 0
September 10.9°C 22.8°C 0.1
October 4.7°C 15.6°C 4.7
November -1.3°C 8°C 20.2
December -6.5°C 1.4°C 28.3

Turn these dates into a planting calendar →

Nearby

Compare with places close by

West Albany Zone 5b 20 km Last frost 30 Apr First 19 Oct Albany Zone 5b 23 km Last frost 30 Apr First 19 Oct Utica Zone 5b 110 km Last frost 9 May First 13 Oct North Chicopee Zone 6a 130 km Last frost 28 Apr First 27 Oct Chicopee Zone 6a 132 km Last frost 28 Apr First 27 Oct Springfield Zone 6a 136 km Last frost 28 Apr First 27 Oct Bristol Zone 6b 151 km Last frost 21 Apr First 27 Oct West Hartford Zone 6a 153 km Last frost 28 Apr First 27 Oct

Seasonal context

Rainfall and the growing season in Schenectady

June has the highest average precipitation (120 mm); February has the lowest (68 mm). Compare this pattern with the planting windows and your water supply.

Jan 69 mm
Feb 68 mm
Mar 79 mm
Apr 89 mm
May 98 mm
Jun 120 mm
Jul 115 mm
Aug 110 mm
Sep 99 mm
Oct 116 mm
Nov 80 mm
Dec 98 mm

During wetter months, check that beds and containers drain after heavy rain. During drier months, plan how you will keep seeds and new transplants watered. Monthly averages can hide long dry spells and intense storms; they do not show soil moisture, humidity or this week's weather.

Source: NASA POWER, corrected MERRA-2 precipitation, 2001–2020. Values are approximate monthly totals, including the water equivalent of snow, from the nearest 0.5° × 0.625° grid cell. This reference period differs from the temperature record. Rainfall provides context and does not change the calculated planting dates. Method and limitations.

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