Frost Dates for 67301 — Independence, Kansas

Half of springs at Independence, KS see their last 32°F night by April 5; only one in ten is past it by March 20, and one in ten still has one after April 23. Planting tender crops after April 12 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 16 20%, and after April 23 10%. The 18 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the widest of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 31 in half of years, as early as October 16 one year in ten, and holds off past November 13 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around November 8; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 10, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 208 days in a typical year, longer than at 95% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 228 days one year in ten and falls short of 187 one year in ten. On average 98 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 12 days longer, to about April 17, and return around October 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between December 11 and February 24.

July is the warmest month at Independence, KS, averaging 91°F by day and 70°F at night; January is the coldest at 45°F and 23°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 69% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,502 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 92% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,639) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 935. Precipitation totals 45.6 inches a year, most in May (6.8") and least in January (1.4"); May to September bring 57% of it.

The nearest other station, Coffeyville Wtr Wks, KS, 12 miles southeast of Independence, has a last frost 1 day later (April 6), a first frost 1 day later (November 1).

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Independence usually arrives around December 18, and the last of the season around February 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Independence, KS, 2.1 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 48 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67301 is 2 miles from Independence, KS, which stands at 805 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67301 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.