Ellicottville, NY 14741 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Ellicottville, NY?
Around 05/17 is the usual last spring frost, about 262 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/01, about 136 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ellicottville 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 Ellicottville 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
05/17 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/01 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/31 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ellicottville compares
About 136 days separate Ellicottville's last and first frost, putting it 37,789 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NY, it ranks 1,836 of 1,951.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Ellicottville can differ from the 14741 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Ellicottville's frost date answer different questions.