U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00145039 · Kansas

Frost Dates near Marion, KS

NOAA weather station Marion Reservoir (USC00145039), Kansas · elevation 1369 ft (417 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

Marion is the nearest town to the station (3.7 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 25only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 850% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 3050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season202 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Marion, KSSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 8 in half of the years, after April 25 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 17 in 1 year out of 10, before October 30 in half of the years, before November 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 202 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 8First frost ~Oct 30Frost season near Marion, KSSpring: a frost after March 23 in 9 years out of 10, after April 8 in half of the years, after April 25 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 17 in 1 year out of 10, before October 30 in half of the years, before November 12 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 202 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 8First frost ~Oct 30
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)April 25October 17
50% (typical)April 8October 30
90% (likely)March 23November 12
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
202 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 30
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 6

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 8 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 30. Frost-free season 203 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 Marion: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 25, 20% April 20, 30% April 16, 40% April 12, 50% April 8, 60% April 5, 70% April 2, 80% March 30, 90% March 23. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 23, 2024 March 28, 2025 April 8, 2026 March 28.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 25Apr 8Mar 232021: April 222022: April 262023: April 232024: March 282025: April 82026: March 28Fall near Marion: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 17, 20% October 21, 30% October 24, 40% October 27, 50% October 30, 60% November 1, 70% November 3, 80% November 7, 90% November 12. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 31, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 28, 2024 October 16, 2025 November 2.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Nov 1Oct 17Oct 30Nov 122021: October 312022: October 182023: October 282024: 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 28
2024March 28October 16
2025April 8November 2
2026March 28season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 25 marks the cautious spring date in the Marion area, with only a 10 % chance that a light frost will occur later, so a gardener can plan to set out tender crops after that day.

The 50 % spring date is April 8, the point at which a light frost has even odds. The hard-frost 50 % date is March 30, indicating the median for a 28 °F event. In fall, the cautious date is October 17, when there is a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived, while the 50 % fall date is October 30 and the hard-frost median is November 6.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants more severely than a light frost at 32 °F, making it a greater risk for tender crops.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 25" 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 17" 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 Marion, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Herington, KS — 21 mi; 2 — Cottonwood Falls, KS — 29 mi; 3 — Newton, KS — 29 mi; 4 — Cassoday, KS — 36 mi; 5 — near Council Grove, KS — 37 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Herington, KS — 21 mi12. Cottonwood Falls, KS — 29 mi23. Newton, KS — 29 mi34. Cassoday, KS — 36 mi45. near Council Grove, KS — 37 mi5
  1. Herington, KS 21 mi (34 km)
  2. Cottonwood Falls, KS 29 mi (46 km)
  3. Newton, KS 29 mi (46 km)
  4. Cassoday, KS 36 mi (57 km)
  5. near Council Grove, KS 37 mi (59 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: 38.3778, -97.0753.