USDA Hardiness Zone 6b
Frost Dates for 67801 — Dodge City, Kansas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Dodge City, KS (2,590 ft), 3 miles east.
Updated
In Dodge City, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 21 in half of years and has passed by May 4 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 20, as early as October 4 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 179 days (NOAA, Dodge City, KS).
- Last spring frost
- April 21
- First fall frost
- October 20
- Growing season
- 179 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
- November 17
- Last snow
- March 24
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 19.1"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Dodge City
Half of springs at Dodge City, KS see their last 32°F night by April 21; only one in ten is past it by April 7, and one in ten still has one after May 4. Planting tender crops after April 27 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 30 20%, and after May 4 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 20 in half of years, as early as October 4 one year in ten, and holds off past November 1 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 28; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 26, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 179 days in a typical year, shorter than at 75% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 198 days one year in ten and falls short of 160 one year in ten. On average 128 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 April 30, and return around October 11. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 23 and March 8.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 17 | Apr 22 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 8 | May 13 |
| 32°F | Apr 7 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 21 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 4 |
| 28°F | Mar 29 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 11 | Apr 15 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 26 |
| 24°F | Mar 14 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 4 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 18 |
| 20°F | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 20 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Apr 1 | Apr 6 |
| 16°F | Feb 20 | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 12 | Mar 16 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 25 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 7 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 |
| 32°F | Oct 4 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Nov 1 |
| 28°F | Oct 15 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 5 | Nov 10 |
| 24°F | Oct 22 | Oct 27 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 19 |
| 20°F | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 |
| 16°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 15 | Nov 19 | Nov 23 | Nov 26 | Nov 29 | Dec 3 | Dec 11 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Dodge City, 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 67801 →Compare Dodge City with another place →
Weather by month in Dodge City
July is the warmest month at Dodge City, KS, averaging 94°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°F and 20°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 20% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 4,220 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 64% of the 110 Kansas stations. 36% of them (1,501) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 931. Precipitation totals 22.1 inches a year, most in June (3.3") and least in January (0.6"); May to September bring 62% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 20 | 0.6 | 100% | 29 | 3 |
| Feb | 49 | 23 | 0.6 | 100% | 24 | 14 |
| Mar | 60 | 31 | 1.4 | 100% | 17 | 74 |
| Apr | 69 | 40 | 2.0 | 98% | 6 | 194 |
| May | 78 | 51 | 3.0 | 20% | <1 | 462 |
| Jun | 89 | 62 | 3.3 | 0% | 0 | 753 |
| Jul | 94 | 66 | 3.1 | 0% | 0 | 931 |
| Aug | 91 | 65 | 3.0 | 0% | 0 | 870 |
| Sep | 84 | 56 | 1.3 | 6% | <1 | 602 |
| Oct | 71 | 43 | 2.0 | 88% | 4 | 261 |
| Nov | 57 | 30 | 0.8 | 100% | 18 | 52 |
| Dec | 46 | 22 | 1.0 | 100% | 28 | 4 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Dodge City, KS (2,590 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, Cimarron, KS, 18 miles west of Dodge City, has a last frost 1 day earlier (April 20), the same first-frost date, a season 3 days longer.
When it snows in Dodge City, Kansas
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Dodge City usually arrives around November 17, and the last of the season around March 24. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Dodge City, KS, 3.2 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 28 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 67801
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 10 – February 24 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 24 – March 10 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 24 – April 7 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 21 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 28 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 6 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 20 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 67801 is 3 miles from Dodge City, KS, which stands at 2,590 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67801 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.