U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00141867 · Kansas

Frost Dates near Council Grove, KS

NOAA weather station Council Grove Lake (USC00141867), Kansas · elevation 1315 ft (401 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Council Grove is the nearest town to the station (1.4 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 27only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season194 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Council Grove, KSSpring: a frost after March 27 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after April 27 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 25 in half of the years, before November 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 194 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 25Frost season near Council Grove, KSSpring: a frost after March 27 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after April 27 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 11 in 1 year out of 10, before October 25 in half of the years, before November 6 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 194 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 25
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 25 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 27October 11
50% (typical)April 11October 25
90% (likely)March 27November 6
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
194 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 1
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 2

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 11 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 24 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 196 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 Council Grove: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 27, 20% April 21, 30% April 18, 40% April 14, 50% April 11, 60% April 8, 70% April 5, 80% April 1, 90% March 27. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 23, 2024 April 5, 2025 April 8, 2026 March 28.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 27Apr 11Mar 272021: April 222022: April 262023: April 232024: April 52025: April 82026: March 28Fall near Council Grove: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 11, 20% October 16, 30% October 19, 40% October 22, 50% October 25, 60% October 27, 70% October 30, 80% November 2, 90% November 6. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 31, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 17, 2024 October 16, 2025 November 2.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 11Oct 25Nov 62021: October 312022: October 182023: October 172024: October 162025: November 2
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 22October 31
2022April 26October 18
2023April 23October 17
2024April 5October 16
2025April 8November 2
2026March 28season not over yet

What these dates mean

October 11 is the cautious fall date for finishing the harvest of tender crops in the Council Grove area. At that point there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived, so planting later carries higher risk.

The 50 % dates indicate the point at which a light frost is equally likely to have occurred or not; the spring median is April 11 and the fall median is October 25. Gardeners who want to reduce frost risk set tender crops outdoors no earlier than April 27 in spring (10 % chance of frost later) and aim to complete harvesting by October 11 in fall (10 % chance of frost earlier).

Hard frost, recorded at 28 °F, can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F, and its 50 % dates are April 1 in spring and November 2 in fall.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 27" 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 11" 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 Council Grove, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Cottonwood Falls, KS — 21 mi; 2 — Emporia, KS — 23 mi; 3 — Herington, KS — 24 mi; 4 — near Marion, KS — 37 mi; 5 — near Manhattan, KS — 40 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Cottonwood Falls, KS — 21 mi12. Emporia, KS — 23 mi23. Herington, KS — 24 mi34. near Marion, KS — 37 mi45. near Manhattan, KS — 40 mi5
  1. Cottonwood Falls, KS 21 mi (34 km)
  2. Emporia, KS 23 mi (37 km)
  3. Herington, KS 24 mi (38 km)
  4. near Marion, KS 37 mi (59 km)
  5. near Manhattan, KS 40 mi (64 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 38.6758, -96.5097.