USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 66607 — Topeka, Kansas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Topeka - NWS, KS (880 ft), 2 miles northeast.
Updated
In Topeka, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 16 in half of years and has passed by April 27 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 22, as early as October 6 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 189 days (NOAA, Topeka - NWS, KS).
- Last spring frost
- April 16
- First fall frost
- October 22
- Growing season
- 189 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 5
- Last snow
- March 12
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 17.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Topeka
Half of springs at Topeka - NWS, KS see their last 32°F night by April 16; only one in ten is past it by April 1, and one in ten still has one after April 27. Planting tender crops after April 20 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 23 20%, and after April 27 10%. The 11 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 97% 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 6 one year in ten, and holds off past November 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 20, 7 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 209 days one year in ten and falls short of 169 one year in ten. On average 114 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 8 days longer, to about April 24, and return around October 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 2.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 5 |
| 32°F | Apr 1 | Apr 6 | Apr 10 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 18 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 27 |
| 28°F | Mar 17 | Mar 24 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 |
| 24°F | Mar 3 | Mar 9 | Mar 15 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 | Apr 10 |
| 20°F | Feb 22 | Feb 28 | Mar 3 | Mar 6 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 20 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 |
| 16°F | Feb 11 | Feb 18 | Feb 23 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 8 | Mar 13 | Mar 19 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 28 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 26 |
| 32°F | Oct 6 | Oct 13 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 4 |
| 28°F | Oct 17 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 16 |
| 24°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 29 |
| 20°F | Nov 2 | Nov 7 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 21 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 2 | Dec 9 |
| 16°F | Nov 12 | Nov 19 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 1 | Dec 5 | Dec 9 | Dec 15 | Dec 21 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Topeka - NWS, KS, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 66607 →Compare Topeka with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Topeka Municipal Airport, KS, 2 miles northeast of Topeka, has a last frost 4 days earlier (April 12), a first frost 1 day later (October 23), a season 2 days longer.
When it snows in Topeka, Kansas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Topeka usually arrives around December 5, and the last of the season around March 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Topeka Municipal Airport, KS, 2.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 35 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 66607
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 5 – February 19 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 19 – March 5 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 19 – April 2 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 16 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 30 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 8 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 22 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 66607 is 2 miles from Topeka - NWS, KS, which stands at 880 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 8 other ZIP codes share the station; its figures are presented in full for 66604 (Topeka). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66607 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.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.