Plattsburgh, New York climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Plattsburgh's normal year runs from 10°F January nights to 81°F July afternoons, with 30.9 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 7.4°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 27°C, 785 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationPlattsburgh International Airport
- Station IDUSW00064776
- Location44.65°N 73.47°W
- Elevation234 ft (71 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population19,758
On October 23, the normal high in Plattsburgh is 55°F and the normal low 36°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 40%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Plattsburgh.
- Jan 28° 10°
- Feb 31° 11°
- Mar 40° 21°
- Apr 54° 33°
- May 68° 44°
- Jun 75° 53°
- Jul 81° 59°
- Aug 79° 57°
- Sep 71° 49°
- Oct 58° 38°
- Nov 46° 29°
- Dec 34° 19°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Plattsburgh each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 81°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 10°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.07 in), the least in February (1.22 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 28°F | 10°F | 19.1°F | 1.41 | 9 | <1 | 29 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 31°F | 11°F | 21.0°F | 1.22 | 9 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 40°F | 21°F | 30.2°F | 1.33 | 11 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 54°F | 33°F | 43.5°F | 2.55 | 13 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 68°F | 44°F | 56.0°F | 2.88 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 75°F | 53°F | 64.4°F | 4.07 | 15 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 81°F | 59°F | 69.9°F | 3.61 | 14 | 3 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 79°F | 57°F | 67.7°F | 3.58 | 13 | 1 | <1 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 71°F | 49°F | 59.7°F | 3.11 | 12 | 1 | <1 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 58°F | 38°F | 48.0°F | 3.04 | 13 | <1 | 7 | 11 h |
| November | 46°F | 29°F | 37.2°F | 2.33 | 11 | <1 | 21 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 34°F | 19°F | 26.4°F | 1.76 | 12 | <1 | 27 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 55°F | 35°F | 45.3°F | 30.89 | 145 | 7 | 154 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −2°C | −12°C | −7.2°C | 36 mm |
| February | −1°C | −12°C | −6.1°C | 31 mm |
| March | 4°C | −6°C | −1.0°C | 34 mm |
| April | 12°C | 1°C | 6.4°C | 65 mm |
| May | 20°C | 7°C | 13.3°C | 73 mm |
| June | 24°C | 12°C | 18.0°C | 103 mm |
| July | 27°C | 15°C | 21.1°C | 92 mm |
| August | 26°C | 14°C | 19.8°C | 91 mm |
| September | 22°C | 9°C | 15.4°C | 79 mm |
| October | 14°C | 4°C | 8.9°C | 77 mm |
| November | 8°C | −2°C | 2.9°C | 59 mm |
| December | 1°C | −7°C | −3.1°C | 45 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, South Hero (8 miles away), gets 50 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00064776; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Plattsburgh?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (12).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00064776.
When is the last frost in Plattsburgh?
In Plattsburgh, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 6 in half of years and after May 19 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 in half of years and before September 23 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 61 year in 10 after May 19; 9 in 10 after April 24
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 23; 9 in 10 before October 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 152 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 177 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 19 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Plattsburgh in zone 5a in ZIP code 12903.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in New York · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00064776; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Plattsburgh?
In a normal year in Plattsburgh, 7 days a year reach 90°F, 154 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 145 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 154a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 57high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 145a normal year
The highest temperature in Plattsburgh's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1945) is 101°F, on June 23, 2025; the lowest is −34°F, on January 4, 1981.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1977, with 58.53 in; the snowiest season is 1977–78, with 153.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00064776; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record PBGthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Plattsburgh?
Over a year 68% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Plattsburgh, 3.5 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (75%) and December the cloudiest (54%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 60% | 1.5 |
| February | 62% | 2.3 |
| March | 65% | 3.4 |
| April | 66% | 4.5 |
| May | 67% | 5.2 |
| June | 69% | 5.6 |
| July | 74% | 5.7 |
| August | 75% | 5.1 |
| September | 75% | 4.0 |
| October | 62% | 2.4 |
| November | 60% | 1.6 |
| December | 54% | 1.1 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Plattsburgh need?
A normal year in Plattsburgh brings 7,546 heating degree days, 40% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 392 cooling degree days, 57% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,230 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,423 | 0 |
| February | 1,232 | 0 |
| March | 1,077 | 0 |
| April | 646 | 1 |
| May | 291 | 13 |
| June | 84 | 66 |
| July | 12 | 164 |
| August | 29 | 113 |
| September | 194 | 35 |
| October | 528 | 1 |
| November | 833 | 0 |
| December | 1,198 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,546 | 392 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00064776. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has Plattsburgh been warmer than normal lately?
2024 averaged 48.9°F, 3.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 45.3°F. 3 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46.9°F | +1.6°F | 25.54 |
| 2022 | 45.5°F | +0.2°F | 29.19 |
| 2024 | 48.9°F | +3.6°F | 33.54 |
Over 32 complete years from 1975 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 5.1°F per century (+0.28°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00064776; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Plattsburgh's climate compare?
Plattsburgh is warmer than 26 of the other 130 places with their own NOAA record in New York, and wetter than 2. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 45.3°F is warmer than 21%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Plattsburgh is Dfb: continental, no dry season, warm summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near Plattsburgh share this climate record?
Milton has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Milton, VT10,802 people · 17 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Plattsburgh's climate
What is the coldest month in Plattsburgh?
January, with a normal high of 28°F and a normal low of 10°F. The warmest is July (81°F by day, 59°F at night).
Does it snow in Plattsburgh?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Plattsburgh's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, South Hero (8 miles away), records 50 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Plattsburgh?
June, with 4.07 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is February with 1.22 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Plattsburgh in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Plattsburgh in zone 5a in ZIP code 12903.
How late can frost come in Plattsburgh?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 6; in one year in ten it comes after May 19. Waiting until May 19 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Plattsburgh in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- New York climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Peru, NY7 miles from this station, 46.2°F a year
- South Hero, VT8 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Dannemora, NY13 miles from this station, 44.8°F a year
- Chazy, NY16 miles from this station, 47.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made