Frost Dates for 66047 — Lawrence, Kansas

Half of springs at Clinton Lake, KS see their last 32°F night by April 15; only one in ten is past it by April 1, and one in ten still has one after May 1. Planting tender crops after April 22 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 25 20%, and after May 1 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 76% of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 22 in half of years, as early as October 7 one year in ten, and holds off past November 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 21, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 189 days in a typical year, longer than at 53% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 208 days one year in ten and falls short of 167 one year in ten. On average 117 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 11 days longer, to about April 26, and return around October 14. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 6.

July is the warmest month at Clinton Lake, KS, averaging 88°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 38°F and 18°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 11% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,906 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 75% of the 110 Kansas stations. 35% of them (1,385) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 865. Precipitation totals 37.7 inches a year, most in June (5.6") and least in January (0.8"); May to September bring 61% of it.

The nearest other station, Lawrence, KS, 4 miles northeast of Lawrence, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 12), a first frost 6 days later (October 28), a season 10 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lawrence usually arrives around December 23, and the last of the season around February 6. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Clinton Lake, KS, 2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 86% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 68 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66047 is 2 miles from Clinton Lake, KS, which stands at 980 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66047 in zone 6b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.