FrostDateCheck

Hunter, NY 12468 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Hunter, NY, ZIP 12468

Zone 5b

The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/18, about 263 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/02, about 137 frost-free days later.

Hunter sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 5b around Hunter has about 5 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 05/18 isn't a guarantee

05/18 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/01 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Hunter compares

Hunter's growing season runs about 137 days, ranking 37,568 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NY, it ranks 1,817 of 1,951.

Learn more

zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Hunter's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Hunter's dates instead of trusting one.