Lake Placid, NY 12913 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Lake Placid, NY?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/21, about 266 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/24, about 123 frost-free days later.
Lake Placid sits in USDA Zone 4a (-30 to -25°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
About 4 weeks of growing season left in Lake Placid before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/21 isn't a guarantee
05/21 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/07 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 06/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lake Placid compares
About 123 days separate Lake Placid's last and first frost, putting it 38,892 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NY, it ranks 1,939 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Lake Placid can differ from the 12913 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 4a and Lake Placid's frost date answer different questions.