Rochester in Spring

In spring (March, April and May), Rochester sees average daytime highs around 49°F and overnight lows near 38°F, with 10.3 in of precipitation over about 35 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.

Over the season highs climb from about 36°F in early March to 64°F by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Rochester's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Rochester's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high: 49°F; 3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low: 38°F
Precipitation: 10.3 in; 35 wet days
Avg wind: 10 mph
Travel score: 2.2; 3rd-best season
Months: Mar · Apr · May

← Winter Rochester year-round climate Summer →

Spring Summer Fall Winter

Temperature in Rochester in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 36°F in early March to 64°F by late May.

A typical spring day in Rochester reaches about 49°F and drops to 38°F overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.

How spring really feels in Rochester

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 90°F and 48 that feel at or below 32°F.

Days feeling ≥ 90°F

heat index over the day's high

Days feeling ≤ 32°F

7 feel bitter (≤ 14°F)

The story in spring is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Rochester weather by month

How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.

Month	High / Low (°F)	Rainfall (inches)	Wet days	Snow days	Daylight (hours)	Travel score
Jan	33° / 22°	3.4	15.5	14	9.2	0.0
Feb	33° / 21°	2.6	10.9	9.3	10.2	0.0
Mar	39° / 28°	3.1	11.7	5.9	11.6	0.1
Apr	50° / 38°	3.9	11.8	2.2	13.1	2.1
May	60° / 48°	3.2	11.4	0	14.4	4.5
Jun	70° / 58°	3.5	11.5	0	15.1	6.3
Jul	77° / 65°	3.5	11.1	0	14.9	6.8
Aug	76° / 65°	3.2	11.7	0	13.8	6.8
Sep	71° / 58°	3.4	10.7	0	12.3	6.5
Oct	59° / 48°	4.3	13.3	0.1	10.8	4.1
Nov	47° / 37°	3.7	14	3.9	9.5	1.4
Dec	38° / 29°	3.7	15.8	10.6	8.9	0.0

Cloud cover in Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time across spring.

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Rochester gets around 10.3 in of rain and snow over 35 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

Wind in Spring

Winds average 10 mph across spring.

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early March to 14 h 54 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 4.9 kWh/m².

Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Rochester?

Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.

2.2

Sightseeing

3rd-best month of the year

0.2

Beach & pool

3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rochester.

What to pack for Rochester in Spring

From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In spring, Rochester sees daytime highs around 49°F and nights near 38°F. Pack a warm layer and a heavy coat. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 35 days see rain.

a warm layera heavy coatrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Rochester in Spring

The nearest coast averages about 39°F across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 15 mi away) is warmest in August at about 72°F and coldest in March near 37°F.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jul 16 to Sep 11 — about 1.9 months when the water holds above 68°F.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Sea temperature (°F)	39	37	37	38	42	56	69	72	67	58	49	43
Comfort	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing	Refreshing	Refreshing	Cool	Bracing	Bracing	Bracing

	Sea temperature (°F)	Comfort
Jan	39	Bracing
Feb	37	Bracing
Mar	37	Bracing
Apr	38	Bracing
May	42	Bracing
Jun	56	Bracing
Jul	69	Refreshing
Aug	72	Refreshing
Sep	67	Cool
Oct	58	Bracing
Nov	49	Bracing
Dec	43	Bracing

UV index in Rochester in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rochester peaks around June 23 at about 8 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near December 22 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
UV index (midday)	1	2	4	5	7	8	8	6	6	3	2	1
Level	Low	Moderate	Moderate	High	High	Very high	Very high	High	High	Moderate	Low	Low

	UV index (midday)	Level
Jan	1	Low
Feb	2	Moderate
Mar	4	Moderate
Apr	5	High
May	7	High
Jun	8	Very high
Jul	8	Very high
Aug	6	High
Sep	6	High
Oct	3	Moderate
Nov	2	Low
Dec	1	Low

Location & terrain

Where is Rochester?

Rochester sits at 43.2°N, 77.6°W, 505 ft above sea level, in United States. The nearest listed city is Brighton, 3.1 mi away.

Topography around Rochester

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 2, 10 and 50 miles of Rochester.

Within 2 miles, the terrain around Rochester has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 433 ft around an average of 525 ft above sea level; within 10 miles, only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 630 ft; within 50 miles, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,067 ft.

The land around Rochester is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) and trees (38%) within 2 miles, trees (52%) within 10 miles, and water (37%) and trees (35%) within 50 miles.

2 miles

433 ft

artificial surfaces 53%

10 miles

630 ft

trees 52%

50 miles

2,067 ft

water 37%

treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater

← Winter Rochester year-round climate Summer →

Spring weather nearby: Brighton 3.1 mi · Gates-North Gates 4.3 mi · Irondequoit 4.3 mi · Henrietta 6.8 mi · Batavia 31 mi · Lockport 54 mi · Auburn 55 mi · East Amherst 55 mi

United States travel facts

Power plugs: Type A / B; 120 V · 60 Hz
Prices: ≈ 100% of US; price level, 2025
GDP per capita: $90,027; 2025
Happiness: 6.8 / 10; World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water: 98%; of population, 2024
Homicide rate: 5.8; per 100k, 2023
Road deaths: 12.7; per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group: High; World Bank
Religion

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Rochester (43.1548°, -77.6156°, elevation 505 ft), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.