Frost Dates for 67104 — Medicine Lodge, Kansas

Half of springs at Medicine Lodge, KS see their last 32°F night by April 13; only one in ten is past it by March 31, and one in ten still has one after April 29. Planting tender crops after April 19 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 24 20%, and after April 29 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 23 in half of years, as early as October 10 one year in ten, and holds off past November 4 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 18, 11 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 191 days in a typical year, longer than at 61% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 212 days one year in ten and falls short of 172 one year in ten. On average 110 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 24, and return around October 15. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and February 28.

July is the warmest month at Medicine Lodge, KS, averaging 94°F by day and 70°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°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 88% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,649 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 99% of the 110 Kansas stations. 37% of them (1,713) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 990. Precipitation totals 27.6 inches a year, most in June (3.9") and least in January (0.8"); May to September bring 61% of it.

The nearest other station, Pratt 3NW, KS, 28 miles north of Medicine Lodge and 407 feet higher, has a last frost 7 days later (April 20), a first frost 3 days earlier (October 20), a season 8 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Medicine Lodge usually arrives around December 11, and the last of the season around February 9. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Medicine Lodge, KS, 2.8 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 95% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 63 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67104 is 3 miles from Medicine Lodge, KS, which stands at 1,535 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67104 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.