U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00013988 · Missouri

Frost Dates near Kansas City, MO

NOAA weather station Kansas City Downtown Airport (USW00013988), Missouri · elevation 742 ft (226 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

Kansas City is the nearest town to the station (1.7 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 20only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostNovember 250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season211 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Kansas City, MOSpring: a frost after March 17 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 20 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 21 in 1 year out of 10, before November 2 in half of the years, before November 16 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 211 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Nov 2Frost season near Kansas City, MOSpring: a frost after March 17 in 9 years out of 10, after April 4 in half of the years, after April 20 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 21 in 1 year out of 10, before November 2 in half of the years, before November 16 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 211 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 4First frost ~Nov 2
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)April 20October 21
50% (typical)April 4November 2
90% (likely)March 17November 16
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
211 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 26
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 11

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 4 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost November 2. Frost-free season 212 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 Kansas City: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 20, 20% April 14, 30% April 10, 40% April 7, 50% April 4, 60% April 2, 70% March 30, 80% March 25, 90% March 17. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 9, 2023 April 23, 2024 March 27, 2025 March 20, 2026 March 23.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 20Apr 4Mar 172021: April 222022: April 92023: April 232024: March 272025: March 202026: March 23Fall near Kansas City: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 21, 20% October 25, 30% October 29, 40% October 31, 50% November 2, 60% November 5, 70% November 7, 80% November 11, 90% November 16. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 3, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 28, 2024 November 22, 2025 November 2.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 21Nov 2Nov 162021: November 32022: October 182023: October 282024: November 222025: 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 22November 3
2022April 9October 18
2023April 23October 28
2024March 27November 22
2025March 20November 2
2026March 23season not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on the early spring date, March 17, carries a 90% chance of a frost later and is therefore a gamble for the Kansas City area. The cautious approach waits until April 20, when the probability of a later frost drops to 10%, giving a much lower risk for tender varieties.

The fall cautious date is October 21, with only a 10% chance that a frost has already arrived, while November 16 represents a 90% gamble for late crops. The 50% dates—April 4 in spring and November 2 in fall—mark the median point where the odds of a light frost are even for a gardener. The hard-frost 50% dates are March 26 and November 11; a hard frost at 28°F can injure plants that would survive a light 32°F frost, making it a more critical threshold.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 20" 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 21" 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 Kansas City, MONumbered nearest stations: 1 — Independence, MO — 12 mi; 2 — Kansas City (Airport), MO — 14 mi; 3 — Pleasant Hill, MO — 28 mi; 4 — Elm, MO — 35 mi; 5 — near Lawrence, KS — 42 mi.MOKS25 mi · 40 km1. Independence, MO — 12 mi12. Kansas City (Airport), MO — 14 mi23. Pleasant Hill, MO — 28 mi34. Elm, MO — 35 mi45. near Lawrence, KS — 42 mi5
  1. Independence, MO 12 mi (19 km)
  2. Kansas City (Airport), MO 14 mi (23 km)
  3. Pleasant Hill, MO 28 mi (45 km)
  4. Elm, MO 35 mi (56 km)
  5. near Lawrence, KS 42 mi (67 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: 39.1208, -94.5969.