Frost Dates for 67749 — Oberlin, Kansas

Half of springs at Oberlin, KS see their last 32°F night by April 30; only one in ten is past it by April 16, and one in ten still has one after May 14. Planting tender crops after May 5 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 9 20%, and after May 14 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 44% of the 110 Kansas stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 11 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 20; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 4, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 163 days in a typical year, shorter than at 95% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 182 days one year in ten and falls short of 144 one year in ten. On average 164 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 May 10, and return around October 2. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and March 17.

July is the warmest month at Oberlin, KS, averaging 91°F by day and 64°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 48% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,471 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 96% of the 110 Kansas stations. 34% of them (1,164) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 848. Precipitation totals 21.8 inches a year, most in May (3.3") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 66% of it.

The nearest other station, Mc Cook, NE, 28 miles north of Oberlin, has a last frost 2 days later (May 2), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 9), a season 4 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Oberlin usually arrives around November 18, and the last of the season around March 29. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Oberlin, KS, 1.3 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 32 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67749 is 1 mile from Oberlin, KS, which stands at 2,586 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67749 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.