Frost Dates for 67880 — Ulysses, Kansas

Half of springs at Ulysses 3NE, KS see their last 32°F night by April 28; only one in ten is past it by April 12, and one in ten still has one after May 10. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 10 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 16 in half of years, as early as October 2 one year in ten, and holds off past October 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 24; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 1, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 171 days in a typical year, shorter than at 90% of the 110 Kansas stations; it reaches 188 days one year in ten and falls short of 152 one year in ten. On average 150 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 6, and return around October 6. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 18 and March 13.

July is the warmest month at Ulysses 3NE, KS, averaging 93°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 46°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 September the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 37% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,792 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 85% of the 110 Kansas stations. 35% of them (1,319) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 871. Precipitation totals 17.8 inches a year, most in July (2.9") and least in February (0.3"); May to September bring 66% of it.

The nearest other station, Sublette 7WSW, KS, 21 miles southeast of Ulysses, has a last frost 5 days earlier (April 23), a first frost 5 days later (October 21), a season 8 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ulysses usually arrives around December 5, and the last of the season around March 23. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ulysses 3NE, KS, 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 36 days after the last snow.

ZIP 67880 is 3 miles from Ulysses 3NE, KS, which stands at 3,094 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 67880 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.