Frost Dates for 66617 — Topeka, Kansas

Half of springs at Topeka Municipal Airport, 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 27. Planting tender crops after April 19 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 23 20%, and after April 27 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 23 in half of years, as early as October 8 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 November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 16, 11 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 212 days one year in ten and falls short of 171 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 13 days longer, to about April 25, and return around October 13. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 1 and March 1.

July is the warmest month at Topeka Municipal Airport, KS, averaging 90°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 40°F and 20°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 4,244 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 67% of the 110 Kansas stations. 37% of them (1,562) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 922. Precipitation totals 36.7 inches a year, most in May (5.2") and least in January (0.9"); May to September bring 60% of it.

The nearest other station, Topeka - NWS, KS, 4 miles south of Topeka, has a last frost 4 days later (April 16), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 22), a season 2 days shorter.

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, 4 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 31 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66617 is 4 miles from Topeka Municipal Airport, KS, which stands at 876 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 66617 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.