First Alert Weather In Depth: How close are we to seeing frosty nights?

ROCHESTER, N.Y. —   Did you feel that Thursday morning? That was a bit of a chill to the air as temperatures across our region dropping into the upper 40s!

A chilly start to the day on Thursday for sure, but definitely not as cool as we could be around this time of year. Thursday night and Friday night will be even colder around the region with lows in Rochester dropping into the mid-40s, and areas away from Lake Ontario will have the chance for their first upper 30s of the season.

It will take some time here in Rochester to see that, but we are creeping closer to that time as our average first low below 40 degrees is September 27 with the earliest date for that occurring on August 29, 1982. Definitely chilly, but not freezing. Here in Rochester we average our first freeze on October 17 with the earliest freeze occurring on September 17, 1959. This is thanks greatly to Lake Ontario which keeps towns along the lake warmer than areas further away.

This date does drastically change the further you are away from the lake, as Batavia sees its first frost/freeze around October 11, Avon on October 8, and even Brockport on October 14. It’s even earlier for the higher elevations in Livingston and Wyoming Counties as they see their first frost/freeze around September 25. Those days are quickly approaching which also means we are approaching the end of the growing season as well. Speaking of growing season, a hard freeze is what will kill plants when left unattended outside.

A “hard freeze” is when the air temperature drops to 28 degrees or colder. On average, we usually see our first hard freeze in Rochester on November 2. Chillier nights and mornings are soon approaching to our region, and if you have any outdoor plants make sure you continue to pay attention to the forecast.