Frost Dates for 66049 — Lawrence, Kansas

Half of springs at Lawrence, KS see their last 32°F night by April 12; only one in ten is past it by March 30, and one in ten still has one after April 24. Planting tender crops after April 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 20 20%, and after April 24 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 89% of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 28 in half of years, as early as October 14 one year in ten, and holds off past November 9 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 7 days later, around November 4; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 17, 7 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 199 days in a typical year, longer than at 79% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 217 days one year in ten and falls short of 178 one year in ten. On average 104 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 9 days longer, to about April 21, and return around October 19. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 3 and March 4.

July is the warmest month at Lawrence, KS, averaging 89°F by day and 70°F at night; January is the coldest at 38°F and 19°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to March (a 90% chance or more). From May to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, April still brings one in 86% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,113 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 55% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,475) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 905. Precipitation totals 39.4 inches a year, most in June (5.7") and least in January (1.0"); May to September bring 60% of it.

The nearest other station, Clinton Lake, KS, 3 miles southwest of Lawrence, has a last frost 3 days later (April 15), a first frost 6 days earlier (October 22), a season 10 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lawrence usually arrives around December 8, and the last of the season around February 27. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lawrence, KS, 3.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 92% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 44 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66049 is 3 miles from Lawrence, KS, which stands at 1,050 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66049 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.