Frost Dates for 66763 — Frontenac, Kansas

Half of springs at Pittsburg, KS see their last 32°F night by April 7; only one in ten is past it by March 24, and one in ten still has one after April 24. Planting tender crops after April 14 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 18 20%, and after April 24 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 30 in half of years, as early as October 17 one year in ten, and holds off past November 10 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 7 days later, around November 6; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 12, 12 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 203 days in a typical year, longer than at 90% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 224 days one year in ten and falls short of 183 one year in ten. On average 91 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 18, and return around October 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 6 and February 26.

July is the warmest month at Pittsburg, KS, averaging 90°F by day and 70°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 24°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 72% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,480 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 91% of the 110 Kansas stations. 37% of them (1,639) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 934. Precipitation totals 47.9 inches a year, most in May (7.1") and least in January (1.8"); May to September bring 55% of it.

The nearest other station, Girard, KS, 9 miles northwest of Frontenac, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 4), a first frost 2 days later (November 1), a season 6 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Frontenac usually arrives around December 17, and the last of the season around February 24. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Pittsburg, KS, 4.6 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 96% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 42 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66763 is 5 miles from Pittsburg, KS, which stands at 908 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 66762 (Pittsburg). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66763 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.