Frost Dates for 67637 — Ellis, Kansas

Half of springs at Cedar Bluff Dam, KS see their last 32°F night by April 25; only one in ten is past it by April 12, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after May 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 3 20%, and after May 7 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 89% of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 17 in half of years, as early as October 3 one year in ten, and holds off past October 28 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 26; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 29, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 174 days in a typical year, shorter than at 84% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 193 days one year in ten and falls short of 154 one year in ten. On average 143 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 8 days longer, to about May 3, and return around October 8. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 23 and March 12.

July is the warmest month at Cedar Bluff Dam, KS, averaging 92°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 43°F and 17°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October 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 33% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,889 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 78% of the 110 Kansas stations. 34% of them (1,333) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 902. Precipitation totals 22.9 inches a year, most in May (3.5") and least in January (0.5"); May to September bring 66% of it.

The nearest other station, Wakeeney, KS, 16 miles west of Ellis and 310 feet higher, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 23), a first frost 1 day later (October 18), a season 1 day longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ellis usually arrives around December 8, and the last of the season around March 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ellis, KS, 2.2 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Snow fell in 92% of those winters. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 54 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67637 is 11 miles from Cedar Bluff Dam, KS, which stands at 2,135 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67637 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.