Frost Dates for 67748 — Oakley, Kansas

Half of springs at Oakley 4W, KS see their last 32°F night by May 6; only one in ten is past it by April 22, and one in ten still has one after May 18. Planting tender crops after May 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 13 20%, and after May 18 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 9 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 21 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 18; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 10, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 156 days in a typical year, the shortest of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 173 days one year in ten and falls short of 137 one year in ten. On average 162 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 14, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 11 and March 27.

July is the warmest month at Oakley 4W, KS, averaging 92°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 42°F and 16°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 70% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,364 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 99% of the 110 Kansas stations. 33% of them (1,103) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 827. Precipitation totals 20.8 inches a year, most in July (3.8") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 68% of it.

The nearest other station, Colby 1SW, KS, 23 miles northwest of Oakley, has a last frost 4 days earlier (May 2), the same first-frost date.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Oakley usually arrives around November 14, and the last of the season around April 7. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Oakley 4W, KS, 5.7 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 29 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67748 is 6 miles from Oakley 4W, KS, which stands at 3,102 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67748 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.