U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013981 · Kansas

Frost Dates near Chanute, KS

NOAA weather station Chanute Martin Johnson Airport (USW00013981), Kansas · elevation 985 ft (300 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Chanute is the nearest town to the station (1.6 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 26only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2850% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season199 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Chanute, KSSpring: a frost after March 24 in 9 years out of 10, after April 10 in half of the years, after April 26 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 14 in 1 year out of 10, before October 28 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 199 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 10First frost ~Oct 28Frost season near Chanute, KSSpring: a frost after March 24 in 9 years out of 10, after April 10 in half of the years, after April 26 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 14 in 1 year out of 10, before October 28 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 199 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 10First frost ~Oct 28
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 26October 14
50% (typical)April 10October 28
90% (likely)March 24November 10
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
199 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 30
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 5

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 11 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 27 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 198 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring near Chanute: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 26, 20% April 21, 30% April 16, 40% April 13, 50% April 10, 60% April 6, 70% April 3, 80% March 30, 90% March 24. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 19, 2023 April 23, 2024 March 28, 2025 April 7, 2026 March 28.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 26Apr 10Mar 242021: April 222022: April 192023: April 232024: March 282025: April 72026: March 28Fall near Chanute: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 14, 20% October 19, 30% October 22, 40% October 25, 50% October 28, 60% October 30, 70% November 1, 80% November 4, 90% November 10. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 13, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 30, 2024 October 16, 2025 November 1.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 14Oct 28Nov 102021: November 132022: October 182023: October 302024: October 162025: November 1
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 22November 13
2022April 19October 18
2023April 23October 30
2024March 28October 16
2025April 7November 1
2026March 28season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 26 is the cautious spring date for the Chanute area; with only a 10 % chance of a light frost after that day, a gardener can plan to set out tender crops with relatively low risk. The median 50 % date, April 10, marks the point at which there is an even chance of a frost occurring later in the season.

In the fall the cautious date is October 14, when the chance of a light frost earlier than that day is just 10 %, making it a good target for finishing harvesting of tender crops. The 50 % median for autumn is October 28, the date at which there is an even chance of a frost having arrived earlier. Hard-frost dates—March 30 in spring and November 5 in fall—signal when temperatures can drop to 28 °F, a level that can damage plants far more severely than the milder 32 °F light frost.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after April 26" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before October 14" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Chanute, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Iola, KS — 18 mi; 2 — Yates Center, KS — 20 mi; 3 — Parsons, KS — 24 mi; 4 — Independence, KS — 32 mi; 5 — Mound Valley, KS — 33 mi.KSMO25 mi · 40 km1. Iola, KS — 18 mi12. Yates Center, KS — 20 mi23. Parsons, KS — 24 mi34. Independence, KS — 32 mi45. Mound Valley, KS — 33 mi5
  1. Iola, KS 18 mi (29 km)
  2. Yates Center, KS 20 mi (32 km)
  3. Parsons, KS 24 mi (38 km)
  4. Independence, KS 32 mi (52 km)
  5. Mound Valley, KS 33 mi (54 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 37.6703, -95.4842.