USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 67432 — Clay Center, Kansas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Clay Ctr, KS (1,201 ft), 3 miles northeast.
Updated
In Clay Center, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 19 in half of years and has passed by May 2 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 19, as early as October 2 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 181 days (NOAA, Clay Ctr, KS).
- Last spring frost
- April 19
- First fall frost
- October 19
- Growing season
- 181 days
- Hardiness zone
- 6b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-5 to 0°F (-20.6 to -17.8°C) coldest night
- First snow
- December 17
- Last snow
- March 2
- Winters with snow
- 97%
- Snow per year
- 10.8"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
28 of 29 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Clay Center
Half of springs at Clay Ctr, KS see their last 32°F night by April 19; only one in ten is past it by April 4, and one in ten still has one after May 2. Planting tender crops after April 25 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 28 20%, and after May 2 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 19 in half of years, as early as October 2 one year in ten, and holds off past October 31 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 28; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 23, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 181 days in a typical year, shorter than at 69% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 202 days one year in ten and falls short of 160 one year in ten. On average 121 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 29, and return around October 10. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 25 and March 10.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 14 | Apr 19 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 3 | May 6 | May 11 |
| 32°F | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | May 2 |
| 28°F | Mar 23 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 |
| 24°F | Mar 12 | Mar 19 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 15 |
| 20°F | Mar 2 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 24 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 5 |
| 16°F | Feb 21 | Feb 27 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 | Mar 30 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 25 | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 7 | Oct 10 | Oct 13 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 22 |
| 32°F | Oct 2 | Oct 9 | Oct 13 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 21 | Oct 24 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 |
| 28°F | Oct 14 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 |
| 24°F | Oct 24 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 8 | Nov 12 | Nov 16 | Nov 23 |
| 20°F | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 28 | Dec 3 |
| 16°F | Nov 5 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 7 | Dec 13 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Clay Ctr, KS, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 67432 →Compare Clay Center with another place →
Weather by month in Clay Center
July is the warmest month at Clay Ctr, KS, averaging 91°F by day and 68°F at night; January is the coldest at 39°F and 18°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 14% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,067 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 57% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,452) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 922. Precipitation totals 31.7 inches a year, most in May (4.9") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 64% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 18 | 0.7 | 100% | 29 | 1 |
| Feb | 44 | 21 | 1.1 | 100% | 23 | 8 |
| Mar | 55 | 31 | 1.9 | 100% | 16 | 60 |
| Apr | 66 | 41 | 2.8 | 94% | 5 | 181 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 4.9 | 14% | <1 | 457 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.5 | 0% | 0 | 745 |
| Jul | 91 | 68 | 4.0 | 0% | 0 | 922 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 4.1 | 0% | 0 | 843 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 2.9 | 8% | 0 | 567 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 2.2 | 90% | 4 | 240 |
| Nov | 53 | 31 | 1.5 | 100% | 16 | 41 |
| Dec | 42 | 21 | 1.1 | 100% | 27 | 2 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Clay Ctr, KS (1,201 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Milford Lake, KS, 23 miles southeast of Clay Center, has a last frost 7 days earlier (April 12), a first frost 7 days later (October 26), a season 12 days longer.
When it snows in Clay Center, Kansas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Clay Center usually arrives around December 17, and the last of the season around March 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Clay Ctr, KS, 2.7 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 97% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 48 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 67432
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 8 – February 22 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 22 – March 8 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 22 – April 5 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 19 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 27 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 5 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 19 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 67432 is 3 miles from Clay Ctr, KS, which stands at 1,201 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67432 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.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.