Waterville, NY 13480 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Waterville, NY?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/13, roughly 258 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/04, about 145 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Waterville in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 5 weeks of growing season left in Waterville before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/13 isn't a guarantee
05/13 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/27 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/28 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Waterville compares
Waterville's growing season runs about 145 days, ranking 36,225 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NY, it ranks 1,672 of 1,951.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Waterville's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Waterville's dates instead of trusting one.