USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 67530 — Great Bend, Kansas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Great Bend 3W, KS (1,872 ft), 2 miles west.
Updated
In Great Bend, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 24 in half of years and has passed by May 7 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 15, as early as September 30 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 172 days (NOAA, Great Bend 3W, KS).
- Last spring frost
- April 24
- First fall frost
- October 15
- Growing season
- 172 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 10
- Last snow
- March 7
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 11.5"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
25 of 25 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Great Bend
Half of springs at Great Bend 3W, KS see their last 32°F night by April 24; only one in ten is past it by April 10, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after April 30 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 20%, and after May 7 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 15 in half of years, as early as September 30 one year in ten, and holds off past October 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 25; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 28, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 172 days in a typical year, shorter than at 87% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 192 days one year in ten and falls short of 152 one year in ten. On average 120 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 9 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 5. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 20 and March 13.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 20 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 3 | May 5 | May 8 | May 11 | May 16 |
| 32°F | Apr 10 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 7 |
| 28°F | Apr 1 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 28 |
| 24°F | Mar 19 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 7 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 21 |
| 20°F | Mar 7 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 11 |
| 16°F | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 5 | Mar 9 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 27 | Apr 3 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 22 | Sep 26 | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 |
| 32°F | Sep 30 | Oct 5 | Oct 9 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 |
| 28°F | Oct 10 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 7 |
| 24°F | Oct 20 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 8 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 |
| 20°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 3 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 | Nov 28 | Dec 1 | Dec 8 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Great Bend 3W, 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 67530 →Compare Great Bend with another place →
Weather by month in Great Bend
July is the warmest month at Great Bend 3W, KS, averaging 91°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 18°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 27% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,902 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 75% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,389) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 876. Precipitation totals 27.5 inches a year, most in May (4.8") and least in January (0.7"); May to September bring 66% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 18 | 0.7 | 100% | 29 | 1 |
| Feb | 47 | 21 | 0.9 | 100% | 23 | 9 |
| Mar | 58 | 30 | 1.6 | 100% | 16 | 60 |
| Apr | 68 | 39 | 2.2 | 98% | 5 | 179 |
| May | 76 | 51 | 4.8 | 27% | <1 | 427 |
| Jun | 87 | 61 | 3.7 | 0% | 0 | 714 |
| Jul | 91 | 65 | 3.9 | 0% | 0 | 876 |
| Aug | 89 | 63 | 3.7 | 0% | 0 | 812 |
| Sep | 82 | 55 | 2.0 | 10% | <1 | 551 |
| Oct | 69 | 42 | 2.0 | 95% | 3 | 233 |
| Nov | 55 | 29 | 1.0 | 100% | 16 | 39 |
| Dec | 44 | 20 | 1.0 | 100% | 28 | 2 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Great Bend 3W, KS (1,872 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, Hudson, KS, 19 miles south of Great Bend, has a last frost 6 days earlier (April 18), a first frost 6 days later (October 21), a season 13 days longer.
When it snows in Great Bend, Kansas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Great Bend usually arrives around December 10, and the last of the season around March 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Great Bend 3W, KS, 2.3 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 48 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 67530
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 13 – February 27 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 27 – March 13 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 27 – April 10 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 24 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 23 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 1 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 15 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 67530 is 2 miles from Great Bend 3W, KS, which stands at 1,872 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 2 other ZIP codes share the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67530 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.