Rochester weather by month & the best time to visit
United States · city break · hot-summer continental climate
The best time to visit Rochester is May — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 74/100), with August and September close behind. Rochester averages about 1,838 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 20°C / 68°F and roughly 85 mm of rain in May.
When is the best time to visit Rochester?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Rochester is May, then August and September. The dullest month is January (0/100, 58 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Rochester?
Rochester gets a moderate 1,838 hours of sunshine a year. 74 Sunshine Score points separate May (74) from January (0), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #464 of 580 destinations in United States for annual sunshine, below the national median of 2,279 hours. The year's 947 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | -1° / 30°F | -7° / 19°F | 58 mm | 1 |
| February | 0 | 0° / 32°F | -7° / 19°F | 56 mm | 1 |
| March | 0 | 5° / 41°F | -4° / 25°F | 62 mm | 3 |
| April | 31 | 13° / 55°F | 2° / 36°F | 78 mm | 4 |
| May | 74 | 20° / 68°F | 8° / 46°F | 85 mm | 6 |
| June | 72 | 25° / 77°F | 14° / 57°F | 93 mm | 7 |
| July | 71 | 28° / 82°F | 17° / 63°F | 98 mm | 7 |
| August | 74 | 28° / 82°F | 16° / 61°F | 86 mm | 6 |
| September | 74 | 24° / 75°F | 13° / 55°F | 86 mm | 5 |
| October | 47 | 16° / 61°F | 6° / 43°F | 100 mm | 3 |
| November | 6 | 9° / 48°F | 1° / 34°F | 69 mm | 1 |
| December | 0 | 2° / 36°F | -4° / 25°F | 76 mm | 1 |
Nearest destinations
Head-to-head
How Rochester compares month by month: Rochester vs Toronto · Rochester vs Buffalo · Rochester vs Syracuse · Rochester vs Waterloo (Ontario) · all comparisons
Rochester: questions and answers
What kind of destination is Rochester?
Rochester is a city break in United States with a hot-summer continental climate.
How many hours of sunshine does Rochester get a year?
Rochester gets about 1,838 hours of sunshine a year, at its best around May.
When is the best time to visit Rochester?
The sunniest time to visit Rochester is May, when the Sunshine Score peaks at 74/100 (with August and September close behind). Expect daytime highs around 20°C / 68°F.
What is the least sunny month in Rochester?
January is the least sunny month in Rochester, scoring 0/100 with about 58 mm of rain.
How strong is the sun in Rochester?
The typical midday UV index in Rochester peaks around 7 (high) in June, easing to about 1 (low) in January. Month-by-month midday UV values are in the UV column of the table on this page.
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