Potsdam, NY 13696 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Potsdam, NY, ZIP 13696
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/05, about 250 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/08, about 156 frost-free days later.
Potsdam sits in USDA Zone 4b (-25 to -20°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 4b around Potsdam has about 6 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
05/05 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. 05/21 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Potsdam compares
Potsdam's growing season runs about 156 days, ranking 33,563 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NY, it ranks 1,273 of 1,951.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 4b and Potsdam's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Potsdam's dates instead of trusting one.