What is the hottest month in Rochester?

July is Rochester's hottest month, with the highest average daily high of the year. The month-by-month table above shows Rochester's exact average high and low for each month, based on the 1991–2020 climate normals — the standard 30-year reference period meteorologists use.

What is the coldest month in Rochester?

January is Rochester's coldest month, with the lowest average daily low of the year. The averages-by-month chart above gives the exact average high and low for every month, so you can see how cold a typical winter day runs.

How much does it rain in Rochester?

Rochester's total annual precipitation and its wettest and driest months are shown in the rainfall-by-month section above. Those figures are 1991–2020 normals — the average monthly precipitation total across that 30-year window — so they reflect a typical year rather than any single wet or dry season.

What months are best to visit Rochester?

The most comfortable months in Rochester are usually the shoulder seasons — spring and fall — when temperatures sit between the summer peak and winter low and rainfall is moderate. Compare the average high, low, and precipitation for each month in the table above to pick the window that fits the weather you want.

Has Rochester gotten hotter?

Yes. The warming-stripes chart above plots Rochester's annual mean temperature for every complete year of station data from 1926 to 2025, and the trend line fitted to 1926–2025 rises about 1.4°F (+0.14°F per decade) — recent decades average warmer than the start of that window.

What is the record high temperature in Rochester?

Rochester's all-time record high — the hottest single day in the station record — is shown in the records section above, along with the date it occurred. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, which begins in 1926, so they capture the most extreme heat on record, not just a typical summer day.

What is the record low temperature in Rochester?

Rochester's all-time record low and the date it was set appear in the records section above. Like the record high, it comes from the station's full daily history back to 1926, so it reflects the coldest day on record rather than an average winter low.

Rochester, New York Climate

Rochester weather by month — average highs and lows, rainfall, all-time records, and the warming record since 1926

Hottest month: 83°FJuly average high
Coldest month: 19°FJanuary average low
Precipitation: 35.1 ina year
Snowfall: 102.0 ina year

1991–2020 NOAA climate normals

At 1:37 AM EDT on Sep 21 it was 52°F in Rochester — 3° below the 55°F typical for that hour (estimated from the Sep 21 normal high of 71°F and low of 52°F, interpolated from the monthly normals).

Rochester weather by month

Average high, low, and rainfall for every month, from Rochester’s 1991–2020 climate normals, the standard 30-year reference period. Each band runs from the month’s average low to its average high: a tall band is a big day-to-night swing.

33°19°

2.5″Jan

35°20°

2.1″Feb

44°27°

2.5″Mar

57°37°

3.0″Apr

69°48°

2.9″May

78°57°

3.4″Jun

83°62°

3.6″Jul

81°61°

3.3″Aug

74°54°

3.2″Sep

61°43°

3.2″Oct

49°34°

2.8″Nov

39°25°

2.7″Dec

Average high → low (°F)Rainfall (inches)1991–2020 normals

Rochester monthly weather averages — average high, average low, and rainfall for each month, from the 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals (NOAA).
Month	Avg High	Avg Low	Rainfall
January	33°F	19°F	2.5 in
February	35°F	20°F	2.1 in
March	44°F	27°F	2.5 in
April	57°F	37°F	3.0 in
May	69°F	48°F	2.9 in
June	78°F	57°F	3.4 in
July	83°F	62°F	3.6 in
August	81°F	61°F	3.3 in
September	74°F	54°F	3.2 in
October	61°F	43°F	3.2 in
November	49°F	34°F	2.8 in
December	39°F	25°F	2.7 in
Annual	59°F	41°F	35.1 in

Rochester’s warming record since 1926

Rochester has warmed 1.4°F since 1926 (+0.14°F per decade, 1926–2025 trend)

Not what a typical year looks like, but how the typical year has changed. Each stripe is one complete year’s average temperature at the station, 1926 to 2025, colored against the mean of those years: blue for cooler years, red for warmer ones. The figure under the stripes is the least-squares trend line fitted to 1926–2025 — Rochester averages about 1.4°F warmer by that trend than in 1926.

Compared with the national rankingThe fastest-warming cities ranking fits every city to the same years, 1970–2025, so rates compare like for like. Over that window Rochester warms at +0.47°F per decade, #46 of 66. The figure above uses the station’s own record, 1926–2025, so the two rates differ.

Rochester rainfall by month

Rochester averages 35.1 inches of precipitation a year. The wettest month is July and the driest is February.

Rochester also averages 102.0 inches of snowfall a year.

Rochester temperature records

All-time record high: 102°Fset July 9, 1936
All-time record low: -22°Fset February 9, 1934

Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station’s full daily history, so they capture the most extreme single day Rochester has recorded — not a typical seasonal high or low.

Frequently asked

What is the hottest month in Rochester?: July is Rochester's hottest month, with the highest average daily high of the year. The month-by-month table above shows Rochester's exact average high and low for each month, based on the 1991–2020 climate normals — the standard 30-year reference period meteorologists use.
What is the coldest month in Rochester?: January is Rochester's coldest month, with the lowest average daily low of the year. The averages-by-month chart above gives the exact average high and low for every month, so you can see how cold a typical winter day runs.
How much does it rain in Rochester?: Rochester's total annual precipitation and its wettest and driest months are shown in the rainfall-by-month section above. Those figures are 1991–2020 normals — the average monthly precipitation total across that 30-year window — so they reflect a typical year rather than any single wet or dry season.
What months are best to visit Rochester?: The most comfortable months in Rochester are usually the shoulder seasons — spring and fall — when temperatures sit between the summer peak and winter low and rainfall is moderate. Compare the average high, low, and precipitation for each month in the table above to pick the window that fits the weather you want.
Has Rochester gotten hotter?: Yes. The warming-stripes chart above plots Rochester's annual mean temperature for every complete year of station data from 1926 to 2025, and the trend line fitted to 1926–2025 rises about 1.4°F (+0.14°F per decade) — recent decades average warmer than the start of that window.
What is the record high temperature in Rochester?: Rochester's all-time record high — the hottest single day in the station record — is shown in the records section above, along with the date it occurred. Records are drawn from the nearest long-term weather station's full daily history, which begins in 1926, so they capture the most extreme heat on record, not just a typical summer day.
What is the record low temperature in Rochester?: Rochester's all-time record low and the date it was set appear in the records section above. Like the record high, it comes from the station's full daily history back to 1926, so it reflects the coldest day on record rather than an average winter low.