Frost Dates for 67401 — Salina, Kansas

Half of springs at Salina Municipal Airport, KS see their last 32°F night by April 18; only one in ten is past it by April 3, and one in ten still has one after May 1. Planting tender crops after April 23 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 27 20%, and after May 1 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 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 9 days later, around November 1; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 187 days in a typical year, shorter than at 52% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 208 days one year in ten and falls short of 168 one year in ten. On average 116 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 28, and return around October 14. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 29 and March 4.

July is the warmest month at Salina Municipal Airport, KS, averaging 93°F by day and 69°F at night; January is the coldest at 41°F and 20°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from November to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 12% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,300 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 75% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,537) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 959. Precipitation totals 29.7 inches a year, most in May (5.0") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Smolan 1NE, KS, 6 miles southwest of Salina, has a last frost 9 days later (April 27), a first frost 7 days earlier (October 16), a season 17 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Salina usually arrives around December 7, and the last of the season around March 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Brookville, KS, 13.6 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 47 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67401 is 3 miles from Salina Municipal Airport, KS, which stands at 1,269 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67401 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.