USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 11961 — Ridge, New York
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY (80 ft), 2 miles south.
Updated
In Ridge, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 24, as early as October 9 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 184 days (NOAA, Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 24
- Growing season
- 184 days
- Hardiness zone
- 7a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 12
- Last snow
- March 19
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- —
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
27 of 27 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Ridge
Half of springs at Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 6 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 29% of the 173 New York stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 24 in half of years, as early as October 9 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 20, 16 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 184 days in a typical year, longer than at 80% of the 173 New York stations; it reaches 203 days one year in ten and falls short of 164 one year in ten. On average 118 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 12 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 16 and March 8.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 3 | May 6 | May 9 | May 13 | May 17 |
| 32°F | Apr 7 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | May 1 | May 6 |
| 28°F | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 |
| 24°F | Mar 11 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 |
| 20°F | Feb 28 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 |
| 16°F | Feb 18 | Feb 25 | Mar 1 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 19 | Mar 25 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 27 |
| 32°F | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 |
| 28°F | Oct 22 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 |
| 24°F | Nov 2 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 4 |
| 20°F | Nov 14 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 | Dec 22 |
| 16°F | Nov 27 | Dec 2 | Dec 6 | Dec 11 | Dec 16 | Dec 21 | Dec 25 | Jan 1 | Jan 7 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 11961 →Compare Ridge with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Shirley Brookhaven Airport, NY, 5 miles south of Ridge, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 18), a first frost 4 days later (October 28), a season 9 days longer.
When it snows in Ridge, New York
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ridge usually arrives around December 12, and the last of the season around March 19. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY, 2.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 33 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 11961
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 1 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 10 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 24 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 11961 is 2 miles from Upton Coop - Nwsfo New York, NY, which stands at 80 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 11949 (Manorville). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 11961 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.