USDA Hardiness Zone 5a
Frost Dates for 12920 — Chateaugay, New York
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Ellenburg Depot, NY (950 ft), 12 miles east.
Updated
In Chateaugay, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 10 in half of years and has passed by May 25 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 2, as early as September 17 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 144 days (NOAA, Ellenburg Depot, NY).
- Last spring frost
- May 10
- First fall frost
- October 2
- Growing season
- 144 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- October 31
- Last snow
- April 16
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 107.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
24 of 24 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Chateaugay
Half of springs at Ellenburg Depot, NY see their last 32°F night by May 10; only one in ten is past it by April 27, and one in ten still has one after May 25. Planting tender crops after May 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 21 20%, and after May 25 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 2 in half of years, as early as September 17 one year in ten, and holds off past October 18 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 14; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 13, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 144 days in a typical year, shorter than at 83% of the 173 New York stations; it reaches 165 days one year in ten and falls short of 124 one year in ten. On average 169 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 14 days longer, to about May 24, and return around September 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 18 and April 1.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 8 | May 13 | May 18 | May 21 | May 24 | May 27 | May 31 | Jun 2 | Jun 6 |
| 32°F | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 7 | May 10 | May 13 | May 17 | May 21 | May 25 |
| 28°F | Apr 15 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 4 | May 7 | May 13 |
| 24°F | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 |
| 20°F | Mar 25 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 19 |
| 16°F | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 9 | Sep 13 | Sep 16 | Sep 19 | Sep 22 | Sep 24 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 3 |
| 32°F | Sep 17 | Sep 23 | Sep 26 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 18 |
| 28°F | Sep 30 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 | Oct 28 | Nov 2 |
| 24°F | Oct 10 | Oct 18 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 |
| 20°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 23 |
| 16°F | Nov 4 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 2 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Ellenburg Depot, 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 12920 →Compare Chateaugay with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Malone, NY, 13 miles west of Chateaugay, has a last frost 4 days earlier (May 6), a first frost 2 days later (October 4), a season 7 days longer.
When it snows in Chateaugay, New York
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Chateaugay usually arrives around October 31, and the last of the season around April 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ellenburg Depot, NY, 11.7 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 24 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 12920
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| March 1 – March 15 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 15 – March 29 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 12 – April 26 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 10 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 10 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 18 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 2 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 12920 is 12 miles from Ellenburg Depot, NY, which stands at 950 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 12920 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°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.