Rochester, IN 46945 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Rochester, IN, ZIP 46945
Around 04/23 is the usual last spring frost, about 238 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/21, about 180 frost-free days later.
Rochester sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 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.
Why 04/23 isn't a guarantee
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 24,847 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within IN, it ranks 485 of 927.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Rochester's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Rochester can differ from the 46945 normal.