Frost Dates for 66088 — Valley Falls, Kansas

Half of springs at Valley Falls 3 SW, KS see their last 32°F night by April 10; only one in ten is past it by March 27, and one in ten still has one after April 25. Planting tender crops after April 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 21 20%, and after April 25 10%. The 15 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 57% of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 29 in half of years, as early as October 12 one year in ten, and holds off past November 10 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 16, 9 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 218 days one year in ten and falls short of 178 one year in ten. On average 118 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 21, and return around October 18. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 4 and March 3.

July is the warmest month at Valley Falls 3 SW, KS, averaging 91°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 39°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 79% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,106 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 52% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,477) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 908. Precipitation totals 37.6 inches a year, most in May (5.6") and least in January (0.9"); May to September bring 61% of it.

The nearest other station, Oskaloosa 4 NE, KS, 12 miles southeast of Valley Falls, has a last frost 6 days later (April 16), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 22), a season 11 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Valley Falls usually arrives around November 24, and the last of the season around March 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Valley Falls 3 SW, KS, 3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 77% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 25 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66088 is 3 miles from Valley Falls 3 SW, KS, which stands at 1,051 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 66512 (Meriden). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66088 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.