Rochester climate — normals and trends
Rochester (United States) has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Dfb) under the Köppen-Geiger classification. Its mean annual temperature is 8.5 °C and it receives 1,121 mm of precipitation per year.
These figures are normals computed over 86 complete calendar years, from 1940 to 2025, using ERA5 reanalysis data from the Copernicus programme.
The warmest month is July (21.6 °C on average) and the coldest is January (-4.9 °C). Rainfall peaks in November.
Rochester averages 124 frost days, 13 hot days (≥ 30 °C) and 122 rainy days per year.
Rochester has warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, or +0.20 °C per decade. This trend is statistically significant.
The number of frost days there went from about 132 to 116 per year over the period.
The hottest day of the period reached 37.5 °C (on 24 June 2025) and the coldest -27.6 °C (on 13 February 1967).
Data from ERA5 reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Change Service), redistributed under a CC-BY 4.0 licence. Normals are recomputed whenever the archive is updated.
Climate normals · ERA5
RochesterNew Hampshire
- coords
- 43.30°, -70.98°
- period
- 1940–2025 · 86 yrs
Mean daily temperature
8.5°C
Average daily high
13.1°C
Average daily low
4.2°C
Annual rainfall
1,121mm
Sunshine / day
8.7h
Mean relative humidity
71%
Average peak wind
16.8km/h
Seasonal range
26.5°C
Frost days (< 0 °C)
124 d/yr
Hot days (≥ 30 °C)
13 d/yr
Rainy days (≥ 1 mm)
122 d/yr
Annual snowfall
138.4 cm
Average feels-like high
11.1 °C
Average feels-like low
1.2 °C
Average peak gust
39.9 km/h
Tropical nights (≥ 20 °C)
10 d/yr
Solar radiation
14.1 MJ/m²
Has the climate changed?
One stripe per year, 1940 to 2025
+1.7 °C
since 1940
+0.2 °C per decade · r² = 0.41 · p = < 0.001
Trend fitted by linear regression (ordinary least squares) on annual means. A trend is shown only when it is statistically significant (p < 0.05).
A climograph overlays rainfall (bars) and temperature (line): the standard reading in climatology, where you can see at a glance whether the warm season is also the dry one.
Records for the period
Hottest day
37.5 °C
24 June 2025
Coldest day
-27.6 °C
13 February 1967
Wettest day
110 mm
11 September 1954
Windiest day
52.3 km/h
19 August 1991
Strongest gust
130.7 km/h
26 November 1950
Hottest feels-like
43.2 °C
2 August 1975
Coldest feels-like
-34.2 °C
4 February 2023
Snowiest day
35.1 cm
19 February 1972
Sunniest day
14.9 h
16 June 1940
Normals computed over complete calendar years 1940–2025.
A specific year
Pick a year and see how it compares to normal — warmer, drier or more extreme than usual?
Across the whole year
Month by month
| High | vs. normal | Precipitation | vs. normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -0.7 °C | +0.1 °C | 41 mm | -47 mm |
| Feb | -0.2 °C | -0.8 °C | 96 mm | +11 mm |
| Mar | 8.4 °C | +3.2 °C | 106 mm | +5 mm |
| Apr | 13.7 °C | +1.8 °C | 122 mm | +23 mm |
| May | 17.5 °C | -0.6 °C | 202 mm | +112 mm |
| Jun | 24.3 °C | +1.0 °C | 50 mm | -42 mm |
| Jul | 28.4 °C | +2.0 °C | 81 mm | -11 mm |
| Aug | 26.0 °C | +0.6 °C | 33 mm | -55 mm |
| Sep | 22.9 °C | +1.8 °C | 63 mm | -21 mm |
| Oct | 16.4 °C | +1.3 °C | 101 mm | +8 mm |
| Nov | 7.7 °C | -0.7 °C | 68 mm | -37 mm |
| Dec | 0.0 °C | -1.9 °C | 88 mm | -15 mm |
The year's extremes
What was the weather like that day?
Your birthday, a wedding, a memorable trip: discover the actual weather for any date since 1940.
Frequently asked questions
What is the climate of Rochester?
Rochester has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb). Over 1940-2025, the average annual temperature is 8.5 °C and it receives 1,121 mm of precipitation per year.
What is the hottest day ever recorded in Rochester?
The hottest day measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 24 June 2025, reaching 37.5 °C.
What is the coldest day in Rochester?
The coldest day measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 13 February 1967, at -27.6 °C.
Does it snow in Rochester?
Yes. Rochester gets on average 138.4 cm of snow per year and has around 124 frost days.
Has the climate of Rochester warmed?
Yes: Rochester warmed by +1.7 °C between 1940 and 2025, a statistically significant trend.
What is the wettest day in Rochester?
The wettest day measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 11 September 1954, with 110 mm of rain in 24 hours.
What was the windiest day in Rochester?
The windiest day measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 19 August 1991, with winds reaching 52.3 km/h.
What is the warmest month in Rochester?
The warmest month in Rochester is July (21.6 °C on average); the coldest is January (-4.9 °C).
How much does it rain in Rochester?
Rochester receives on average 1,121 mm of precipitation per year, spread over about 122 rainy days.
Is it sunny in Rochester?
Rochester gets on average 8.7 hours of sunshine per day, roughly 3,175 hours per year over 1940-2025.
What is the biggest single-day snowfall in Rochester?
The heaviest 24-hour snowfall measured in Rochester between 1940 and 2025 was 19 February 1972, with 35.1 cm.
Are there tropical nights in Rochester?
Yes: Rochester has on average 10 tropical nights per year (temperature staying above 20 °C), over 1940-2025.
What was the most extreme apparent temperature in Rochester?
In Rochester, between 1940 and 2025, the highest apparent temperature reached 43.2 °C on 2 August 1975, and the lowest was -34.2 °C on 4 February 2023.
Compare Rochester with another city
Pick a second city: its normals will be set against these, indicator by indicator.
Nearby cities
The climate around Rochester