USDA Hardiness Zone 4b
Frost Dates for 13676 — Potsdam, New York
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Colton 2 N, NY (580 ft), 5 miles south.
Updated
In Potsdam, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 5 in half of years and has passed by May 21 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 8, as early as September 26 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 156 days (NOAA, Colton 2 N, NY).
- Last spring frost
- May 5
- First fall frost
- October 8
- Growing season
- 156 days
- Hardiness zone
- 4b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-25 to -20°F (-31.7 to -28.9°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 18
- Last snow
- April 8
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 77.3"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
25 of 25 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Potsdam
Half of springs at Colton 2 N, NY see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 22, and one in ten still has one after May 21. Planting tender crops after May 12 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 16 20%, and after May 21 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 71% of the 173 New York stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 8 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 16 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 9, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 156 days in a typical year, shorter than at 61% of the 173 New York stations; it reaches 178 days one year in ten and falls short of 135 one year in ten. On average 162 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 17, and return around September 28. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 24 and March 30.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 1 | May 6 | May 10 | May 14 | May 17 | May 20 | May 23 | May 27 | May 31 |
| 32°F | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 5 | May 8 | May 12 | May 16 | May 21 |
| 28°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 9 |
| 24°F | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 24 |
| 20°F | Mar 23 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 5 | Apr 7 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 |
| 16°F | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 15 | Sep 19 | Sep 23 | Sep 25 | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 12 |
| 32°F | Sep 26 | Oct 1 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 21 | Oct 28 |
| 28°F | Oct 4 | Oct 11 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 9 |
| 24°F | Oct 20 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 |
| 20°F | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 |
| 16°F | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Colton 2 N, 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 13676 →Compare Potsdam with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Canton 4 SE, NY, 9 miles southwest of Potsdam, has a last frost 4 days later (May 9), a first frost 8 days earlier (September 30), a season 14 days shorter.
When it snows in Potsdam, New York
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Potsdam usually arrives around November 18, and the last of the season around April 8. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Canton 4 SE, NY, 9.3 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 27 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 13676
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 24 – March 10 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 10 – March 24 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 7 – April 21 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 5 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 16 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 24 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 8 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 13676 is 5 miles from Colton 2 N, NY, which stands at 580 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 13676 in zone 4b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -25 to -20°F (-31.7 to -28.9°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.