USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 14716 — Brocton, New York
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Portland1 SW, NY (808 ft), 3 miles southwest.
Updated
In Brocton, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 25 in half of years and has passed by May 12 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 31, as early as October 15 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 187 days (NOAA, Portland1 SW, NY).
- Last spring frost
- April 25
- First fall frost
- October 31
- Growing season
- 187 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°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 Brocton
Half of springs at Portland1 SW, NY see their last 32°F night by April 25; only one in ten is past it by April 12, and one in ten still has one after May 12. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 6 20%, and after May 12 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 90% of the 173 New York stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 31 in half of years, as early as October 15 one year in ten, and holds off past November 15 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 12 days later, around November 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 29, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 187 days in a typical year, longer than at 82% of the 173 New York stations; it reaches 209 days one year in ten and falls short of 165 one year in ten. On average 111 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 10 days longer, to about May 5, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 12 and March 17.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 9 | May 13 | May 17 | May 22 |
| 32°F | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 6 | May 12 |
| 28°F | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 18 | Apr 22 | Apr 29 |
| 24°F | Mar 18 | Mar 23 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 1 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 16 |
| 20°F | Mar 10 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 21 | Mar 24 | Mar 27 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 4 |
| 16°F | Mar 1 | Mar 7 | Mar 11 | Mar 14 | Mar 17 | Mar 19 | Mar 22 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Oct 2 | Oct 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Nov 1 |
| 32°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 24 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 15 |
| 28°F | Oct 29 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 15 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 28 |
| 24°F | Nov 8 | Nov 14 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 24 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 4 | Dec 9 |
| 20°F | Nov 18 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 3 | Dec 6 | Dec 9 | Dec 14 | Dec 20 |
| 16°F | Nov 26 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 8 | Dec 12 | Dec 17 | Dec 20 | Dec 24 | Jan 1 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Portland1 SW, 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 14716 →Compare Brocton with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Fredonia, NY, 8 miles northeast of Brocton, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 1 day later (November 1), a season 2 days shorter.
When it snows in Brocton, New York
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Brocton 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, 7.6 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 32 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 14716
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 14 – February 28 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 28 – March 14 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 28 – April 11 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 25 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by August 8 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 17 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 31 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 14716 is 3 miles from Portland1 SW, NY, which stands at 808 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 14716 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°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.