Hunter, NY 12460 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Hunter, NY, ZIP 12460
Around 04/29 is the usual last spring frost, about 244 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/14, about 169 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Hunter, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Hunter has about 7 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 04/29 isn't a guarantee
04/29 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/15 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Hunter compares
About 169 days separate Hunter's last and first frost, putting it 29,576 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NY, it ranks 828 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Hunter can differ from the 12460 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Hunter's frost date answer different questions.