Elmira, NY 14871 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Elmira, NY, ZIP 14871
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/06, about 251 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 158 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Elmira 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
Zone 5b around Elmira 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
05/06 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/24 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 Elmira compares
About 158 days separate Elmira's last and first frost, putting it 32,916 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NY, it ranks 1,146 of 1,951.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Elmira's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Elmira's dates instead of trusting one.