Rochester climate
Rochester (New York, United States) has a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa). The average temperature over the year is 9 °C49 °F, and about 948 mm37 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Rochester climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin | Frost days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | −131 | −719 | −425 | 582.3 | 29 |
| Feb | 033 | −719 | −326 | 562.2 | 27 |
| Mar | 542 | −425 | 134 | 622.4 | 25 |
| Apr | 1355 | 235 | 745 | 783.1 | 12 |
| May | 2068 | 847 | 1457 | 853.4 | 1 |
| Jun | 2577 | 1457 | 1967 | 933.7 | 0 |
| Jul | 2883 | 1763 | 2373 | 983.9 | 0 |
| Aug | 2882 | 1662 | 2272 | 863.4 | 0 |
| Sep | 2475 | 1355 | 1865 | 863.4 | 0 |
| Oct | 1660 | 644 | 1152 | 1004.0 | 2 |
| Nov | 948 | 133 | 540 | 692.7 | 15 |
| Dec | 236 | −425 | −131 | 763.0 | 26 |
| Year | 2883 | −719 | 949 | 94837 | 136 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total. Frost days are for the whole grid cell.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 90% | 84% | 1.3 | 9:19 |
| Feb | 88% | 80% | 2.0 | 10:27 |
| Mar | 83% | 77% | 3.3 | 11:48 |
| Apr | 78% | 84% | 4.4 | 13:21 |
| May | 75% | 86% | 5.4 | 14:39 |
| Jun | 74% | 83% | 5.9 | 15:21 |
| Jul | 70% | 80% | 5.9 | 15:04 |
| Aug | 70% | 76% | 5.2 | 13:56 |
| Sep | 72% | 69% | 4.1 | 12:26 |
| Oct | 78% | 75% | 2.5 | 10:56 |
| Nov | 82% | 76% | 1.6 | 9:38 |
| Dec | 88% | 84% | 1.0 | 9:00 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Rochester is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 17 °C63 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average −1 °C31 °F and lows −7 °C19 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 26.7 °C48.1 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 948 mm37 in. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year. The wettest month is October (100 mm4.0 in), the driest is February (56 mm2.2 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in August to 90% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 69%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 1 km/h (1 mph) in June to 6 km/h (4 mph) in February. Daylight lasts from about 9.0 hours in December to 15.4 hours in June.
A lasting snow cover is typical in December–March, when the average snow depth in the reanalysis exceeds 10 cm (deepest in January, about 17 cm).
Best time to visit Rochester
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are May–September: average highs of 20 °C68 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 85 mm3.4 in to 98 mm3.9 in of precipitation per month.
The most challenging month is January, which is cold, with average highs of −1 °C31 °F.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Rochester
- Winter (December–February) — highs −131 to 2 °C36 °F, lows −719 to −4 °C25 °F, about 64 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack a winter coat, hat, gloves and warm, non-slip boots and shoes with good grip, as frost is common.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 542 to 20 °C68 °F, lows −425 to 8 °C47 °F, about 75 mm3.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket and an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2577 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1457 to 17 °C63 °F, about 92 mm3.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses, an extra layer for the cooler mornings and evenings and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 948 to 24 °C75 °F, lows 133 to 13 °C55 °F, about 85 mm3.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
How Rochester compares
Compared with Buffalo, about 107 km to the west, Rochester has practically the same average temperature and receives a similar amount of precipitation. The difference is largest in May (0.7 °C1.2 °F warmer).
Of the 222 places in the United States covered by World Climates, Rochester is the 206th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 117th wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the United States climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Windsor (Canada, Dfa), Brantford (Canada, Dfa) and St. Catharines (Canada, Dfa).
Nearby places
- Buffalo 107 km · 9 °C49 °F · 947 mm37 in
- Syracuse 120 km · 9 °C49 °F · 1,110 mm44 in
- Oshawa 129 km · 9 °C47 °F · 719 mm28 in
- St. Catharines 132 km · 10 °C50 °F · 872 mm34 in
- Ajax 138 km · 9 °C48 °F · 719 mm28 in
- Kingston 150 km · 9 °C48 °F · 942 mm37 in
- Markham 155 km · 8 °C47 °F · 723 mm28 in
- Toronto 157 km · 9 °C48 °F · 774 mm30 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Rochester?
July is the warmest month in Rochester, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 17 °C (63 °F).
What is the coldest month in Rochester?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of -1 °C (31 °F) and an average low of -7 °C (19 °F).
When does it rain the most in Rochester?
October is the wettest month with about 100 mm (4.0 in) of precipitation; February is the driest with about 56 mm (2.2 in).
What is the best time to visit Rochester?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are May–September.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 218 m, while Rochester lies at about 154 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.