U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00141612 · Kansas

Frost Dates near Lawrence, KS

NOAA weather station Clinton Lake (USC00141612), Kansas · elevation 980 ft (299 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Lawrence is the nearest town to the station (6.0 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 1only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season189 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Lawrence, KSSpring: a frost after April 1 in 9 years out of 10, after April 15 in half of the years, after May 1 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 7 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 189 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 15First frost ~Oct 22Frost season near Lawrence, KSSpring: a frost after April 1 in 9 years out of 10, after April 15 in half of the years, after May 1 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 7 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 189 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 15First frost ~Oct 22
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 1October 7
50% (typical)April 15October 22
90% (likely)April 1November 3
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
189 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 5
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 15 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 24 (2 days later). Frost-free season 191 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 Lawrence: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 1, 20% April 25, 30% April 22, 40% April 18, 50% April 15, 60% April 12, 70% April 9, 80% April 6, 90% April 1. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 24, 2024 March 28, 2026 March 28.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 1Apr 15Apr 12021: April 222022: April 262023: April 242024: March 282026: March 28Fall near Lawrence: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 7, 20% October 13, 30% October 17, 40% October 19, 50% October 22, 60% October 25, 70% October 27, 80% October 31, 90% November 3. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 2, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 28, 2024 October 16.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 7Oct 22Nov 32021: November 22022: October 172023: October 282024: October 16
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 2
2022April 26October 17
2023April 24October 28
2024March 28October 16
2025incomplete recordincomplete record
2026March 28season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 189 days between the 50% dates in the Lawrence area define the central growing window, during which the bulk of planting, growth, and harvest can be scheduled.

For a cautious plan, the spring light-frost 10 % date is May 1, and the fall light-frost 10 % date is October 7; these are the dates with only a small chance that a frost has already arrived or will arrive soon. The 50 % light-frost dates of April 15 and October 22 mark the point where a frost is equally likely to have occurred before or after, giving gardeners a clear midpoint for timing. The 50 % hard-frost dates are April 5 in spring and November 1 in fall, and they indicate when a freeze of 28 °F is as likely as not. Hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 1" 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 7" 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 Lawrence, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Topeka, KS — 18 mi; 2 — Ottawa, KS — 23 mi; 3 — Kansas City (Airport), MO — 41 mi; 4 — near Kansas City, MO — 42 mi; 5 — Garnett, KS — 46 mi.KSMO25 mi · 40 km1. Topeka, KS — 18 mi12. Ottawa, KS — 23 mi23. Kansas City (Airport), MO — 41 mi34. near Kansas City, MO — 42 mi45. Garnett, KS — 46 mi5
  1. Topeka, KS 18 mi (29 km)
  2. Ottawa, KS 23 mi (37 km)
  3. Kansas City (Airport), MO 41 mi (66 km)
  4. near Kansas City, MO 42 mi (67 km)
  5. Garnett, KS 46 mi (74 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: 38.9408, -95.3397.