Rochester, IN 46912 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Rochester, IN, ZIP 46912
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/23, about 238 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 180 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Rochester 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
Zone 6a around Rochester has about 8 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
04/23 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/09 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/09 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Rochester compares
Rochester's growing season runs about 180 days, ranking 24,844 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IN, it ranks 482 of 927.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Rochester's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Rochester's dates instead of trusting one.