Climateby Month

Rochester, NY climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 504 ft elevation

Summers in Rochester are warm; winters are cold and snowy. Highs peak at 83°F in July and fall to 33°F in January. Wet days are spread through the year, from about 10 to 20 a month. Normal snowfall is about 102 in a year. The most comfortable time to visit is May, June and September.

Warmest month
83°F
July normal high
Coldest month
19°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
168
35.1 in of precipitation
Snow a year
102.0 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Rochester?

Normal highs range from 33°F in January to 83°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 33°F (1°C), low 19°F (-7°C) 33° 19° February: normal high 35°F (2°C), low 20°F (-7°C) March: normal high 44°F (7°C), low 27°F (-3°C) April: normal high 57°F (14°C), low 37°F (3°C) May: normal high 69°F (21°C), low 48°F (9°C) June: normal high 78°F (26°C), low 57°F (14°C) July: normal high 83°F (28°C), low 62°F (17°C) 83° 62° August: normal high 81°F (27°C), low 61°F (16°C) September: normal high 74°F (23°C), low 54°F (12°C) October: normal high 61°F (16°C), low 43°F (6°C) November: normal high 49°F (9°C), low 34°F (1°C) December: normal high 39°F (4°C), low 25°F (-4°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Rochester?

January has the most wet days (about 20); the year brings about 35 in of precipitation.

January: 20 wet days 20 February: 16 wet days March: 15 wet days April: 13 wet days May: 12 wet days June: 12 wet days July: 11 wet days August: 10 wet days 10 September: 11 wet days October: 14 wet days November: 15 wet days December: 18 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 102.0 in a year, most of it in January.

January: 27.4 in of snow 27.4 February: 23.1 in of snow March: 17.9 in of snow April: 3.0 in of snow May: 0.1 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.1 in of snow November: 8.1 in of snow December: 22.3 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Rochester?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 8 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 1 muggy days June: 4 muggy days July: 8 muggy days 8 August: 7 muggy days September: 2 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Greater Rochester International Airport, 4.0 mi SW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.1 hours in December to 15.3 hours in June.

January: 9.4 hours of daylight February: 10.5 hours of daylight March: 11.9 hours of daylight April: 13.4 hours of daylight May: 14.7 hours of daylight June: 15.3 hours of daylight 15.3 July: 15.0 hours of daylight August: 13.9 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.0 hours of daylight November: 9.7 hours of daylight December: 9.1 hours of daylight 9.1 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Rochester, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 33°F19°F 2.5 in20 27.4 in 0 9.4 h
February 35°F20°F 2.1 in16 23.1 in 0 10.5 h
March 44°F27°F 2.5 in15 17.9 in 0 11.9 h
April 57°F37°F 3.0 in13 3.0 in 0 13.4 h
May 69°F48°F 2.9 in12 0.1 in 1 14.7 h
June 78°F57°F 3.4 in12 0.0 in 4 15.3 h
July 83°F62°F 3.6 in11 0.0 in 8 15.0 h
August 81°F61°F 3.3 in10 0.0 in 7 13.9 h
September 74°F54°F 3.2 in11 0.0 in 2 12.5 h
October 61°F43°F 3.2 in14 0.1 in 0 11.0 h
November 49°F34°F 2.8 in15 8.1 in 0 9.7 h
December 39°F25°F 2.7 in18 22.3 in 0 9.1 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Rochester

By our comfort score, the best months are May, June and September.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 250724
Feb 290621
Mar 402615
Apr 57773
May 721470
Jun 711472
Jul 63864
Aug 651162
Sep 691671
Oct 561080
Nov 40368
Dec 270820

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Rochester

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 24, and the first fall frost around Oct 25, leaving 181 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Rochester
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 24after May 8
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 25before Oct 8
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 14after Apr 26
First hard freeze (28°F)Nov 6before Oct 25
Frost-free season181 daysunder 162 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Rochester Gtr Intl Airport (USW00014768), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in New York.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 98°F (July 21, 2011, and 1 other day); the lowest was -17°F (January 16, 1994).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Rochester

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates and humidity and wind by hour: Rochester Gtr Intl Airport (USW00014768), 4.0 mi SW of the city center, 533 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Greater Rochester International Airport (725290-14768), 4.0 mi SW of the city center, 540 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.
  • Not available for this location: cloud cover (no station close enough or similar enough in elevation).

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error