Frost Dates for 67860 — Lakin, Kansas

Half of springs at Lakin, KS see their last 32°F night by April 18; only one in ten is past it by April 4, and one in ten still has one after May 1. Planting tender crops after April 24 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after April 28 20%, and after May 1 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 23 in half of years, as early as October 8 one year in ten, and holds off past November 3 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 31; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 22, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 187 days in a typical year, shorter than at 52% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 204 days one year in ten and falls short of 169 one year in ten. On average 137 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 11 days longer, to about April 29, and return around October 15. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 26 and March 4.

July is the warmest month at Lakin, 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 11% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 4,161 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 58% of the 110 Kansas stations. 35% of them (1,460) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 931. Precipitation totals 19.0 inches a year, most in June (3.3") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 67% of it.

The nearest other station, Garden City Exp Stn, KS, 25 miles east of Lakin, has a last frost 10 days later (April 28), a first frost 6 days earlier (October 17), a season 16 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lakin usually arrives around November 30, and the last of the season around March 18. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Lakin, KS, 3.9 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 31 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67860 is 4 miles from Lakin, KS, which stands at 2,998 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67860 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.