Rochester, New York Weather
Apples hang heavy on the branch. Day 93 of summer. Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
Rochester weather forecast — hour by hour, 7-day outlook, NOAA radar
Conditions updated 10:15 AM EDT · Open-Meteo
- TodaySep 21Overcast——57°52°—
- TuesdaySep 22Overcast——62°50°+5°
- WednesdaySep 23Overcast——67°49°+5°
- ThursdaySep 24Clear——65°47°-2°
- FridaySep 25Overcast——65°49°0°
- SaturdaySep 26Clear——69°48°+4°
- SundaySep 27Overcast——72°51°+3°
Air quality now AQI 40 · Good
AQI 40 (Good), driven by Ozone. AQI flat over the last 6 hours (within ±3 points).
OK No precautions needed for the general population; unusually sensitive individuals may consider limiting prolonged outdoor exertion.
Trends
Seven days of AQI and PM2.5.
Hourly air-quality data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, charted across the past and next several days. Dashed lines mark the AQI breakpoints at 50 (Good → Moderate) and 100 (Moderate → Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups).
September dries up ditches or breaks down bridges.
- Moonrise
- 4:52 PM
- Moonset
- 1:18 AM
- In sign
- ♑︎ Capricorn
Apples hang heavy on the branch
Read this microseason across nine climate regions →
All 72 microseasons on the year wheel →
Rochester at a glance
- Today vs. normal: Today averages 55°F (high 57°F, low 52°F), 6°F below the 61°F normal for Sep 21
- Last frost: April 24 (1991–2020 median, NOAA station 8 km away)
- Microseason: Sep 21–25
- Planting calendar: September — plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash
16-Day Forecast — Rochester
- Mon57°52°9%
- Tue62°50°1%
- Wed67°49°1%
- Thu65°47°0%
- Fri65°49°5%
- Sat69°48°7%
- Sun72°51°6%
- Mon75°54°6%
- Tue81°56°6%
- Wed68°61°31%
- Thu73°56°27%
- Fri61°48°16%
- Sat74°48°21%
- Sun78°66°23%
- Mon66°50°26%
- Tue52°44°29%
Forecast data from Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0).
Live wind & temperature near Rochester
Interactive wind and temperature map centered on Rochester — it loads in your browser. Open the full weather map.
Right now in the garden
Fall planting + final harvests
As of September 21, the season's first frost (typically October 25) is approaching. Pick what frost-tender plants still carry before the next cold front. This city's planting calendar for September: plant garlic (overwinter); harvest tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, and winter squash.
Sun & seasons in Rochester
Rochester sits in Monroe County, where the year’s longest day runs 15h 23m of daylight and its shortest just 8h 59m — a swing of +6h 24m between the June and December solstices. Clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026 and fall back on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
New York, the state’s largest city, lies about 255 miles to the SE. The nearest town Rochester tracks is Buffalo, roughly 65 miles to the WSW.
Air quality in Rochester
Air quality in Rochester’s county has trended cleaner since 2020; its cleanest year on record was 2024 (median AQI 38). See the full air-quality history for Rochester.
Planting calendar
| Month | Plant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| April | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes | radishes |
| May | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes, tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, spinach, radishes |
| June | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, radishes |
| July | tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash | lettuce, peas, spinach, beans, summer squash, garlic |
| August | beans, squash, fall brassicas, carrots | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash |
| September | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash |
| October | garlic (overwinter) | tomatoes, peppers, beans, summer squash, winter squash, fall brassicas, carrots |
| November | — | fall brassicas, carrots |
A year in weather
The year in Rochester tops out in July (~72°F) and dips lowest in January (~26°F), with July wettest at 3.6 inches and February driest at 2.1 inches.
| Month | Mean temp | Precip | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 2.5″ | 7 |
| February | 27° | 2.1″ | 6 |
| March | 35° | 2.5″ | 6 |
| April | 47° | 3.0″ | 7 |
| May | 59° | 2.9″ | 7 |
| June | 68° | 3.4″ | 7 |
| July | 72° | 3.6″ | 6 |
| August | 71° | 3.3″ | 6 |
| September | 64° | 3.2″ | 7 |
| October | 52° | 3.2″ | 8 |
| November | 42° | 2.8″ | 6 |
| December | 32° | 2.7″ | 8 |
Regional context
Similar climates North Gates, NY, Saint John Fisher College, NY, Rochester Institute of Technology, NY
Drawing on NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals, Rochester's January averages 26°F and July 72°F — 46°F apart — while precipitation totals roughly 35.1 inches over some 81 days.
Rainfall in Rochester splits evenly between the seasons: July tops out at 3.6 inches over 6.4 rainy days, and February logs 2.1 inches across 6.3 — neither half of Rochester's year dominates. That lines Rochester up with places like North Gates, NY, Saint John Fisher College, NY and Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, fed by overlapping storm tracks.
The cool-season window in Rochester starts at April 24, when nights stop freezing — think kale, peas, spinach, and parsnips. In Rochester, warm-season transplants — tomatoes, peppers, basil — wait two weeks past Rochester's frost date. Rochester's window closes around October 25 as Rochester's overnight lows return below freezing. Sheltered Rochester yards can escape a light frost.
Similar climates: North Gates, NY, Saint John Fisher College, NY, Rochester Institute of Technology, NY, Nazareth College, NY, East Rochester, NY.
Frequently asked
- When does it freeze in Rochester?
- In Rochester, expect the last spring frost near April 24; Rochester's first autumn frost comes around October 25.
- What is the rainy season in Rochester?
- July is the wettest month in Rochester, about 3.6 inches on average; the year totals roughly 35 inches.
- What is the warmest month in Rochester?
- The warmest stretch in Rochester comes in July, around 72°F on average.
- What is the coldest month in Rochester?
- On average January is the chilliest month in Rochester, about 26°F.
- When can I start a vegetable garden in Rochester?
- Frost-hardy sowings begin at April 24 in Rochester; warm-season starts follow two weeks on.
- How many rainy days does Rochester get?
- Rochester records around 81 days of measurable precipitation annually.
- What hardiness zone is Rochester?
- Rochester's hardiness zone tracks its winter low; with January near 26°F, check the USDA ZIP map for the exact zone.
- What is the 10-day forecast for Rochester?
- Rochester's extended outlook — daily high and low temperatures and precipitation chances for each upcoming day — is in the daily forecast above.
- Will it rain this week in Rochester?
- See this week's day-by-day rain chances for Rochester in the daily forecast above, and the next 24 hours in the hourly chart.
- What is the weather like right now in Rochester?
- Current conditions for Rochester and the next 24 hours — temperature, precipitation chance, and wind by the hour — are in the hourly forecast chart above.
- How often is the Rochester forecast updated?
- The Rochester forecast on this page is built from Open-Meteo weather-model data and refreshes regularly through the day.
- When are sunrise and sunset in Rochester?
- Today's sunrise and sunset times for Rochester are in the Almanac section above, along with civil dawn, civil dusk, and day length. Day length is longest near the summer solstice and shortest near the winter solstice.
- How accurate is the weather forecast for Rochester?
- The next few days in Rochester's forecast are the most reliable; accuracy declines beyond about a week as weather-model uncertainty grows.
Rochester sits at 43.2°N; its climate zone is warm-summer humid continental (Köppen approximation).
ZIP codes in Rochester
- 14602
- 14603
- 14604
- 14605
- 14606
- 14607
- 14608
- 14609
- 14610
- 14611
- 14612
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- 14614
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- 14620
- 14621
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- 14625
- 14626
- 14627
- 14638
- 14639
- 14642
- 14643
- 14644
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- 14647
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- 14650
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