Gowanda, NY 14168 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Gowanda, NY?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/05, about 250 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/20, about 167 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Gowanda in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 8 weeks of growing season left in Gowanda before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
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. 05/20 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Gowanda compares
About 167 days separate Gowanda's last and first frost, putting it 30,008 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NY, it ranks 858 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Gowanda can differ from the 14168 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 6a and Gowanda's frost date answer different questions.