Albany, NY 12209 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Albany, NY?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/27, about 242 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/15, about 169 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Albany in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 7 weeks of growing season left in Albany before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Albany's last frost
04/27 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/11 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Albany compares
Albany's growing season runs about 169 days, ranking 29,288 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NY, it ranks 781 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Albany can differ from the 12209 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Albany's frost date answer different questions.