Frost Dates for 66441 — Junction City, Kansas

Half of springs at Milford Lake, KS see their last 32°F night by April 12; only one in ten is past it by March 29, and one in ten still has one after April 29. Planting tender crops after April 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 23 20%, and after April 29 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 26 in half of years, as early as October 13 one year in ten, and holds off past November 7 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 3; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 19, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 193 days in a typical year, longer than at 66% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 214 days one year in ten and falls short of 174 one year in ten. On average 122 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 23, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 2 and March 3.

July is the warmest month at Milford Lake, KS, averaging 89°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 39°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 84% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,036 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 64% of the 110 Kansas stations. 35% of them (1,418) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 900. Precipitation totals 33.1 inches a year, most in May (5.2") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Manhattan, KS, 19 miles northeast of Junction City and 153 feet lower, has a last frost 4 days later (April 16), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 19), a season 8 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Junction City usually arrives around December 16, and the last of the season around February 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Chapman, KS, 10.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 88% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 66 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66441 is 5 miles from Milford Lake, KS, which stands at 1,213 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66441 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.