Rome, NY 13303 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Rome, NY?
Around 05/06 is the usual last spring frost, about 251 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 157 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rome in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 Rome before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/06 isn't a guarantee
05/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/22 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/20 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Rome compares
At roughly 157 frost-free days, Rome places 33,212 of 40,283 ZIP codes in this dataset. Within NY, it ranks 1,207 of 1,951.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Rome's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Rome's dates instead of trusting one.