Your nature year
Buffalo, New Yorkthrough the year
Also for Niagara Falls, NY, North Tonawanda, NY, Rochester, NY, Jamestown, NY: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Buffalo?
Spring green-up reaches town around Apr 13, with first blooms around May 13. At the Buffalo weather station (7.3 mi), the average first fall frost is Oct 26 and the last spring frost Apr 24, which leaves Buffalo some 185 growing days. Statewide, New York's fall color is usually well under way by mid-October. Within 150 miles we follow 16 places, out to Black Moshannon State Park 144 miles to the south. Niagara Falls, 17 miles from Buffalo, is the nearest fall foliage spot on this site, usually well under way by mid-October (statewide). The town is about 612 feet above sea level.
Updated Sep 28. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Buffalo's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 24 to ~Oct 26
- First leaf ~Apr 13
- First bloom ~May 13
- Fall color under way ~Oct 20 (NY)
- Today
Near Buffalo right now
- Fall color is usually well under way by mid-October in New YorkStatewide · USA-NPN volunteer observations, 2020–2025 · not a forecast~3 weeks
- First fall frost usually around Oct 26 · last spring frost around Apr 24NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Buffalo (7.3 mi, 50% dates)~4 weeks
- Fall foliage · Niagara Falls · 17 miStatewide: usually well under way by mid-October~3 weeks
Buffalo's nature year
- Spring green-upApr
- Last spring frostApr
- Fall color (NY)Oct
- First fall frostOct
Nearby, season by season
Fall foliage
- Niagara Falls · 17 miStatewide: usually well under way by mid-October~3 weeks
- Iroquois Refuge · 27 miLocal timing: Oct 1–10~3 days
- Letchworth State Park · 47 miStatewide: usually well under way by mid-October~3 weeks
Snow in Buffalo
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 7 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Buffalo (7.3 mi away): 95 inches of snow in an average year, about 25.6 days with 1 inch or more.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 24
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 26
About 185 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Apr 13
First bloom around May 13
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Buffalo (7.3 mi from Buffalo), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Buffalo?
On average around Oct 26, and the last spring frost around Apr 24: about 185 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Buffalo, 7.3 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Buffalo?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Apr 13 and first bloom around May 13, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see fall foliage near Buffalo?
Niagara Falls, 17 miles (statewide: usually well under way by mid-October); Iroquois Refuge, 27 miles (local timing: Oct 1–10); Letchworth State Park, 47 miles (statewide: usually well under way by mid-October). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Buffalo?
Snow usually becomes possible around Nov 7: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Buffalo. An average year brings 95 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, colored leaves observations (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28)