New Paltz, NY 12486 Frost Dates
Frost dates for New Paltz, NY, ZIP 12486
Around 04/21 is the usual last spring frost, about 236 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/27, about 188 frost-free days later.
Zone 6b (-5 to 0°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 New Paltz, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6b around New Paltz has about 9 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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/06 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How New Paltz compares
About 188 days separate New Paltz's last and first frost, putting it 21,945 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NY, it ranks 419 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in New Paltz can differ from the 12486 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6b and New Paltz's frost date answer different questions.