Frost Dates for 12986 — Tupper Lake, New York

Half of springs at Tupper Lake Sunmount, NY see their last 32°F night by May 16; only one in ten is past it by May 2, and one in ten still has one after May 31. Planting tender crops after May 22 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 26 20%, and after May 31 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 September 28 in half of years, as early as September 14 one year in ten, and holds off past October 11 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around October 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 19, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 134 days in a typical year, shorter than at 95% of the 173 New York stations; it reaches 152 days one year in ten and falls short of 114 one year in ten. On average 185 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 15 days longer, to about May 31, and return around September 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 12 and April 5.

July is the warmest month at Tupper Lake Sunmount, NY, averaging 77°F by day and 54°F at night; January is the coldest at 25°F and 4°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month.

Warmth for growing adds up to 1,758 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 98% of the 173 New York stations. 30% of them (521) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 493. Precipitation totals 45.3 inches a year, most in June (4.6") and least in February (2.7"); May to September bring 46% of it.

The nearest other station, Ray Brook, NY, 19 miles east of Tupper Lake, has a last frost 5 days later (May 21), a first frost 4 days earlier (September 24), a season 11 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Tupper Lake usually arrives around November 4, and the last of the season around April 10. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Tupper Lake Sunmount, NY, 1.4 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 36 days after the last snow.

ZIP 12986 is 1 mile from Tupper Lake Sunmount, NY, which stands at 1,680 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 12986 in zone 4a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -30 to -25°F (-34.4 to -31.7°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.