Frost Dates for 66846 — Council Grove, Kansas

Half of springs at Council Grove Lake, KS see their last 32°F night by April 11; only one in ten is past it by March 27, and one in ten still has one after April 27. Planting tender crops after April 18 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 21 20%, and after April 27 10%. The 16 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 76% of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 25 in half of years, as early as October 11 one year in ten, and holds off past November 6 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 2; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 17, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 194 days in a typical year, longer than at 70% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 215 days one year in ten and falls short of 173 one year in ten. On average 120 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 10 days longer, to about April 21, and return around October 15. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 2 and March 2.

July is the warmest month at Council Grove Lake, 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 80% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,221 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 65% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,516) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 922. Precipitation totals 35.0 inches a year, most in May (5.2") and least in January (0.8"); May to September bring 63% of it.

The nearest other station, Emporia 3 NW, KS, 21 miles southeast of Council Grove, has a last frost 4 days later (April 15), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 23), a season 4 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Council Grove usually arrives around December 8, and the last of the season around February 28. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Council Grove Lake, KS, 2 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 42 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66846 is 2 miles from Council Grove Lake, KS, which stands at 1,315 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66846 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.