Frost Dates for 66967 — Smith Center, Kansas

Half of springs at Smith Ctr, KS see their last 32°F night by April 24; only one in ten is past it by April 9, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 20%, and after May 7 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 65% of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 15 in half of years, as early as September 28 one year in ten, and holds off past October 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 28, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 173 days in a typical year, shorter than at 85% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 193 days one year in ten and falls short of 152 one year in ten. On average 136 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 9 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 5. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 17 and March 15.

July is the warmest month at Smith Ctr, KS, averaging 92°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 39°F and 16°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 26% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,826 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 83% of the 110 Kansas stations. 35% of them (1,329) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 902. Precipitation totals 26.2 inches a year, most in July (4.4") and least in January (0.6"); May to September bring 66% of it.

The nearest other station, Phillipsburg #2, KS, 27 miles west of Smith Center, has a last frost 2 days later (April 26), a first frost 1 day later (October 16), a season 1 day shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Smith Center usually arrives around November 24, and the last of the season around March 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Smith Ctr, KS, 1.5 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 39 days after the last snow.

ZIP 66967 is 2 miles from Smith Ctr, KS, which stands at 1,820 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 66967 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.