USDA Hardiness Zone 7a
Frost Dates for 14048 — Dunkirk, New York
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Dunkirk, NY (631 ft), under a mile southwest.
Updated
In Dunkirk, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 30 in half of years and has passed by May 15 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 23, as early as October 6 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 175 days (NOAA, Dunkirk, NY).
- Last spring frost
- April 30
- First fall frost
- October 23
- Growing season
- 175 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
- November 24
- Last snow
- March 24
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 75.6"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
20 of 20 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Dunkirk
Half of springs at Dunkirk, NY see their last 32°F night by April 30; only one in ten is past it by April 18, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 11 20%, and after May 15 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 23 in half of years, as early as October 6 one year in ten, and holds off past November 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 16 days later, around November 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 5, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 175 days in a typical year, longer than at 72% of the 173 New York stations; it reaches 196 days one year in ten and falls short of 154 one year in ten. On average 125 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 11 days longer, to about May 11, and return around October 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 10 and March 20.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 27 | May 2 | May 5 | May 8 | May 11 | May 14 | May 18 | May 21 | May 26 |
| 32°F | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 4 | May 7 | May 11 | May 15 |
| 28°F | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 30 | May 5 |
| 24°F | Mar 24 | Mar 30 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 8 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 |
| 20°F | Mar 14 | Mar 19 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 |
| 16°F | Mar 6 | Mar 12 | Mar 15 | Mar 17 | Mar 20 | Mar 23 | Mar 26 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 28 | Oct 1 | Oct 5 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 | Oct 25 |
| 32°F | Oct 6 | Oct 11 | Oct 15 | Oct 19 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 4 | Nov 9 |
| 28°F | Oct 22 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 |
| 24°F | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 7 |
| 20°F | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 8 | Dec 11 | Dec 18 |
| 16°F | Nov 23 | Nov 30 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 10 | Dec 14 | Dec 18 | Dec 23 | Dec 29 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Dunkirk, 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 14048 →Compare Dunkirk with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Fredonia, NY, 2 miles south of Dunkirk, has a last frost 5 days earlier (April 25), a first frost 9 days later (November 1), a season 10 days longer.
When it snows in Dunkirk, New York
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Dunkirk usually arrives around November 24, and the last of the season around March 24. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Fredonia, 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 37 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 14048
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 19 – March 5 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 5 – March 19 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 2 – April 16 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 30 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 31 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 9 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 23 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 14048 is under a mile from Dunkirk, NY, which stands at 631 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 14048 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.