Frost Dates for 66743 — Girard, Kansas

Half of springs at Girard, KS see their last 32°F night by April 4; only one in ten is past it by March 19, and one in ten still has one after April 21. Planting tender crops after April 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 14 20%, and after April 21 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 November 1 in half of years, as early as October 17 one year in ten, and holds off past November 14 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 9; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 9, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 209 days in a typical year, longer than at 99% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 232 days one year in ten and falls short of 188 one year in ten. On average 97 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 15, and return around October 22. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 10 and February 25.

July is the warmest month at Girard, KS, averaging 90°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 42°F and 22°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 62% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,350 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 78% of the 110 Kansas stations. 37% of them (1,589) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 918. Precipitation totals 45.6 inches a year, most in May (6.5") and least in January (1.8"); May to September bring 54% of it.

The nearest other station, Pittsburg, KS, 12 miles southeast of Girard, has a last frost 3 days later (April 7), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 30), a season 6 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Girard usually arrives around December 18, and the last of the season around February 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Girard, KS, 1.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 87% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 58 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66743 is 1 mile from Girard, KS, which stands at 990 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66743 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.