U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00142980 · Kansas

Frost Dates near Garden City, KS

NOAA weather station Garden City Experiment Station (USC00142980), Kansas · elevation 2890 ft (881 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

Garden City is the nearest town to the station (3.6 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 May 9only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2850% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season171 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Garden City, KSSpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 28 in half of the years, after May 9 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 17 in half of the years, before October 28 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 171 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 28First frost ~Oct 17Frost season near Garden City, KSSpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 28 in half of the years, after May 9 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 17 in half of the years, before October 28 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 171 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 28First frost ~Oct 17
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 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 9October 1
50% (typical)April 28October 17
90% (likely)April 13October 28
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
171 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 17
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 25

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 28 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 18 (1 day later). Frost-free season 172 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 Garden City: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 9, 20% May 5, 30% May 3, 40% April 30, 50% April 28, 60% April 25, 70% April 21, 80% April 17, 90% April 13. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 17, 2023 April 29, 2024 April 21, 2025 April 16, 2026 April 19.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 9Apr 28Apr 132021: April 222022: April 172023: April 292024: April 212025: April 162026: April 19Fall near Garden City: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 1, 20% October 7, 30% October 11, 40% October 14, 50% October 17, 60% October 20, 70% October 22, 80% October 24, 90% October 28. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 16, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 19.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 1Oct 17Oct 282021: October 162022: October 172023: October 72024: October 162025: October 19
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 16
2022April 17October 17
2023April 29October 7
2024April 21October 16
2025April 16October 19
2026April 19season not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on April 13 in the Garden City area carries a 90% chance of a light frost later in the season, making it a gamble for growers. A cautious plan would wait until May 9, when the chance of a frost later than that date drops to 10%. The 50% date is April 28; at that point a light frost is equally likely to occur before or after, so it serves as a median reference for timing decisions.

In fall, the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 1, with only a 10% chance that a frost has arrived earlier. The 50% date is October 17, marking an even-odds point for a light frost. The 50% hard-frost dates are April 17 and October 25, and a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F because of the colder temperature.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 9" 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 1" 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 Garden City, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Garden City (Airport), KS — 7 mi; 2 — Lakin, KS — 24 mi; 3 — Cimarron, KS — 28 mi; 4 — Scott City, KS — 34 mi; 5 — Ulysses, KS — 38 mi.CO25 mi · 40 km1. Garden City (Airport), KS — 7 mi12. Lakin, KS — 24 mi23. Cimarron, KS — 28 mi34. Scott City, KS — 34 mi45. Ulysses, KS — 38 mi5
  1. Garden City (Airport), KS 7 mi (11 km)
  2. Lakin, KS 24 mi (39 km)
  3. Cimarron, KS 28 mi (46 km)
  4. Scott City, KS 34 mi (54 km)
  5. Ulysses, KS 38 mi (61 km)

Sources

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

Station coordinates: 37.9931, -100.8122.