Frost Dates for 67042 — El Dorado, Kansas

Half of springs at El Dorado, KS see their last 32°F night by April 13; only one in ten is past it by March 28, and one in ten still has one after April 27. Planting tender crops after April 19 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 23 20%, and after April 27 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 44% 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 7 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 19, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 193 days in a typical year, longer than at 66% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 215 days one year in ten and falls short of 174 one year in ten. On average 112 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 23, and return around October 17. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 2 and March 2.

July is the warmest month at El Dorado, KS, averaging 91°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 44°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 84% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,347 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 77% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,559) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 932. Precipitation totals 38.6 inches a year, most in May (5.8") and least in January (0.9"); May to September bring 62% of it.

The nearest other station, Smileyberg 1N, KS, 21 miles south of El Dorado, has a last frost 5 days later (April 18), a first frost 4 days earlier (October 21), a season 8 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in El Dorado usually arrives around December 11, and the last of the season around February 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at El Dorado, KS, 0.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 83% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 60 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67042 is under a mile from El Dorado, KS, which stands at 1,290 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67042 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.