Frost Dates for 66725 — Columbus, Kansas

Half of springs at Columbus, KS see their last 32°F night by April 5; only one in ten is past it by March 19, and one in ten still has one after April 22. Planting tender crops after April 11 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 16 20%, and after April 22 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 31 in half of years, as early as October 18 one year in ten, and holds off past November 14 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around November 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 10, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 208 days in a typical year, longer than at 95% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 229 days one year in ten and falls short of 187 one year in ten. On average 95 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 16, and return around October 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 13 and February 23.

July is the warmest month at Columbus, KS, averaging 90°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°F and 23°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 63% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,409 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 84% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,597) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 913. Precipitation totals 46.2 inches a year, most in May (7.1") and least in January (1.7"); May to September bring 54% of it.

The nearest other station, Pittsburg, KS, 18 miles northeast of Columbus, has a last frost 2 days later (April 7), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 30), a season 5 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Columbus usually arrives around December 8, and the last of the season around February 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Columbus, KS, 1.9 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 39 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66725 is 2 miles from Columbus, KS, which stands at 893 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 66713 (Baxter Springs). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66725 in zone 7a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged 0 to 5°F (-17.8 to -15.0°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.