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Rochester weather by month: averages, rainfall & climate trends

Seasons run to extremes in Rochester: monthly means span 57.0°F between the coldest month and the warmest. Rainfall leans toward the stretch from April to September. Rochester weather by month: average temperatures, rainfall, extremes and how the climate has changed since 1940.

Today vs average

+2.2°Fhigh near average

56° / 50°Today
54° / 38°Average
see today in detail →

How it's changed

+3.2°Faverage temperature, 2016–2025 vs 1940–1949average temperature vs 1940–49135frost days a year now (2016–2025) · 148 in the 1940sfrost days a year · 148 in the 1940s21days above 86°F a year now (2016–2025) · 16 in the 1940sdays above 86°F · 16 in the 1940s+3.2°F vs the 1940s · see how it's changed →
Weather by montha typical year, averaged over the full recordJanuary, rain 1.3 incheshigh 23°low 8°February, rain 1.2 incheshigh 28°low 12°March, rain 2.6 incheshigh 40°low 24°April, rain 3.6 incheshigh 57°low 37°May, rain 4.4 incheshigh 69°low 49°June, rain 4.7 incheshigh 78°low 59°July, rain 3.8 incheshigh 82°low 63°August, rain 4.0 incheshigh 80°low 61°September, rain 3.4 incheshigh 72°low 53°October, rain 2.5 incheshigh 59°low 42°November, rain 2.1 incheshigh 42°low 28°December, rain 1.6 incheshigh 28°low 15°wettest month June, 4.7 inches · 35.2 inches a yearsee month by month →

Right now

What it's doing today vs the historical average for this date.
Overcast

Right now

51.4°

47°feels like
62%humidity
39°dew point
3 mphfrom N
UV index0.0
sunrise07:37sunset18:10day length10h 32m
SunOvercast56°50°
TodayDrizzle49°45°
TueOvercast66°45°
WedClear71°52°
ThuClear63°49°
FriClear54°41°
SatOvercast56°39°

On this date: October 26

Today (forecast)
56° / 50°
Average for October 26
54° / 38°

High near average · +2.2°F

  • Highest since 1940: 78.3° · 1955
  • Lowest since 1940: 20.5° · 1962
  • One year ago: 62° / 44°

Every October 26 in history, coldest to hottest

▲ Daily highs▼ Daily lows

Dots show daily highs (top) and lows (bottom) for each October 26 on record (n = 87). Outlined dots are today's forecast.

Area we sample

Each city's history comes from one ERA5 grid cell, about 28 km across, shown by the dashed box. Near mountains or coasts, conditions can vary across the cell.

Location & data

Historical weather for Rochester is sampled from the ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at 44.02°N, 92.47°W, with daily records since 1940.

Coordinates
44.02°N, 92.47°W
Time zone
America/Chicago
Period
1940–2026
Data source
ERA5 (ECMWF)

Last 30 days

28 of the last 31 days were warmer than the historical average for that date. Average difference: +7.2°F.

Each bar is one day, from morning low to afternoon high. Warm-colored bars are days whose mean ran above average; cool bars ran below. The dot inside the bar is the daily mean. The shaded band is the typical 10–90% range expected for that date. Average = the day's mean temperature averaged across every year of record (1940–2026) for that calendar date.

This date over the years

One dot per year, showing the mean temperature on this calendar date. Dots are warmer or cooler than the long-term average (dashed line); the shaded band is the typical 10–90% range, and the highlighted dot is today's forecast. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Weather by month

Average temperatures and rainfall for each month: a typical year, from the full record.

Climate overview

July brings the year's peak warmth, with afternoons typically reaching 81.7°F and nights around 63.4°F. In a typical recent year, around 20 days reach 86°F or more. The coolest month is January, when afternoons reach about 23.4°F and overnight lows sit around 8.1°F. Around 135 days a year dip below freezing.

Rochester picks up roughly 35.2 inches a year, with a peak of 4.7 inches in June and as little as 1.2 inches in February.

The record here starts in 1940, and since then the annual mean in Rochester has climbed 3.2°F from the first ten years to the last ten. Recent years have brought more rain as well. The last decade sits roughly 12% over the long-term average.

Climate graph (climograph)

July is the warmest month, January the coolest: a yearly swing of 57°F. Wettest month: June (~4.7 in). Whole year averages ~35.2 inches of rain.

Bars = average monthly rainfall (right axis). Lines = average daily high and low (left axis). Average = each month's value averaged across every year of record (1940–2026).

Rainy days by month

About 88 rainy days a year: most in May (~11), fewest in February (~4).

Bars = average number of days with ≥ 0.08 in per month. Hover for the monthly rainfall total.

Monthly wind

Average daily peak wind at 10 m, by month.

Monthly solar energy

Average daily incoming solar energy in megajoules per square metre: the record's own proxy for how sunny the month is.

Rochester month by month: what to expect

Typical conditions for each month, averaged across the full record (since 1940). Daylight is the time from sunrise to sunset. Highest and Lowest are the most extreme values in the ERA5 dataset (modelled since 1940), so they can differ from official weather-station readings.

MonthAvg highAvg lowRainRainy daysDaylightHighestLowest
January23.4°8.1°1.3 in49.1 h57.3° (1981)−32.0° (1951)
February28.3°12.4°1.2 in410.2 h67.2° (2024)−31.8° (1996)
March40.5°24.1°2.6 in711.6 h81.1° (1986)−28.7° (1962)
April56.6°37.1°3.6 in913.2 h89.3° (1980)6.7° (1982)
May68.8°49.2°4.4 in1114.6 h96.1° (2018)22.6° (1967)
June77.9°59.4°4.7 in1015.3 h98.8° (1987)34.9° (1945)
July81.7°63.4°3.8 in915.0 h100.8° (1988)45.9° (1972)
August79.6°61.1°4.0 in913.8 h101.1° (1988)38.4° (2004)
September71.6°52.6°3.4 in712.3 h97.4° (2023)23.6° (1942)
October59.4°41.6°2.5 in710.7 h90.4° (2023)12.5° (1972)
November42.2°27.8°2.1 in69.4 h75.3° (2020)−15.8° (1964)
December28.3°14.6°1.6 in58.7 h65.8° (2021)−30.2° (1972)

How it's changed

Year-by-year signals from 1940 to today.

Climate stripes

Annual mean shifted from 1940–1949 to 2016–2025 by +3.2°F.

Each vertical stripe is one year. Color encodes how much that year's annual mean differed from the long-term average. Average = each year's annual mean compared to the average of all years (1940–2026). cooler ← → warmer

Annual mean temperature

Long-term trend: +0.43°F per decade.

One point per year, showing the temperature averaged across the whole year. The dashed line is the least-squares long-term trend. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Seasonal warming

Mar–May is warming fastest: +0.59°F per decade.

Each faint line is one three-month period's average per year; the bold dashed line is its long-term trend. Different parts of the year often warm at different rates. Based on ERA5 reanalysis: modelled estimates, not station readings.

Hot days vs frost days

Days ≥ 86°F per year: 16.4 early in the record → 21.3 recently. Frost days: 148 → 135.

Thin lines are raw yearly counts; thick lines are the smoothed trend that removes year-to-year noise. The hot-day threshold is auto-picked per city so the line actually moves. Average = a centered 5-year rolling average to smooth weather noise.

Yearly hot & cold extremes

Hottest day since 1940 in 1988, coldest in 1951: 101.1°F / −32.0°F.

One point per year: the single hottest and coldest day recorded that year.

Annual rainfall

~35.2 in/year on average. Last decade: +12% vs that average. Long-term trend: +0.72 in per decade.

One bar per year of total rainfall. Dashed line is the long-term average. Average = the average annual rainfall across every year of record (1940–2026).

Day-by-day grid

Each tiny square is one calendar day across the full record, about 30,000 days per city. Use the mode switch above the chart: Anomaly colors each day by how far it ran from the historical average for that date (red = warmer, blue = cooler), Daily mean temp shows the absolute mean temperature for the day (useful to see seasons and heatwaves), and Precipitation shows daily rainfall (useful to spot wet/dry seasons and droughts). Average = the long-term average for that calendar date (1940–2026).

Frequently asked questions about Rochester

Which is the warmest month in Rochester?
On long-term average, the warmest month in Rochester is July (mean daily temperature of about 72.0°F) and the coolest is January (about 15.0°F).
How does today's temperature in Rochester compare to the historical average?
On October 26, 2026, Rochester is forecast to reach a high of 56.5°F and a low of 50.2°F. The long-term average for this date (the full record since 1940) is a high of 54.2°F and a low of 37.7°F, so today's high is 2.2°F warmer than that average.
How much has Rochester warmed since 1940?
Comparing the first decade of the record (1940–1949) with the most recent (2016–2025), the annual mean temperature in Rochester is about 3.2°F warmer.
How much does it rain in Rochester?
Rochester receives about 35.2 inches of precipitation per year on long-term average, with June typically the wettest month.
What is the average temperature in Rochester?
Over the full record (since 1940), the annual mean temperature in Rochester is about 45.5°F. The warmest month is July and the coolest is January.
What are the average temperatures in Rochester by month?
Average daily highs and lows for each month in Rochester (°F, full record since 1940): January 23°/8°, February 28°/12°, March 40°/24°, April 57°/37°, May 69°/49°, June 78°/59°, July 82°/63°, August 80°/61°, September 72°/53°, October 59°/42°, November 42°/28°, December 28°/15°.
What is the weather like in Rochester in summer?
June to August is summer in Rochester, and it is wet and warm. Expect 78–82°F by day and 59–63°F at night, with July the warmest month. Rain falls on about 9 days a month, adding up to around 4.2 inches.
What is the weather like in Rochester in winter?
December to February is winter in Rochester, and it is cold, with afternoons close to freezing. Daytime highs sit at 23–28°F and nights at 8–15°F; January is the coldest month. Snow is steady at around 1.4 inches of precipitation a month, spread over roughly 4 days. No season is drier.
What is the weather like in Rochester in spring?
In spring, March through May, Rochester is cool. March is still 40°F in the afternoon and 24°F at night, May already 69°F and 49°F. Rain rises from 2.6 inches on 7 days in March to 4.4 inches on 11 days in May.
What is the weather like in Rochester in autumn?
Autumn in Rochester (September to November) is cool. September is still 72°F by day and 53°F at night; by November it is down to 42°F and 28°F. Rain eases through the season: 7 rainy days and 3.4 inches in September, 6 days and 2.1 inches in November.
How many days a year does it rain in Rochester?
On long-term average, Rochester has about 88 days a year with at least 0.08 inches of rain or snow. The annual total is roughly 35.2 inches.

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