Frost Dates for 66073 — Perry, Kansas

Half of springs at Perry Lake, KS see their last 32°F night by April 13; only one in ten is past it by March 31, and one in ten still has one after April 30. Planting tender crops after April 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 23 20%, and after April 30 10%. The 17 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 85% of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 24 in half of years, as early as October 9 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 18, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 191 days in a typical year, longer than at 61% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 211 days one year in ten and falls short of 170 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 12 days longer, to about April 25, and return around October 14. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 3.

July is the warmest month at Perry Lake, KS, averaging 87°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 37°F and 18°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 88% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,855 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 81% of the 110 Kansas stations. 35% of them (1,365) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 860. Precipitation totals 39.2 inches a year, most in May (5.5") and least in January (1.0"); May to September bring 62% of it.

The nearest other station, Clinton Lake, KS, 11 miles south of Perry, has a last frost 2 days later (April 15), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 22), a season 2 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Perry usually arrives around December 8, and the last of the season around February 13. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Perry Lake, KS, 1.4 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 96% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 59 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66073 is 1 mile from Perry Lake, KS, which stands at 957 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66073 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.