U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00146435 · Kansas

Frost Dates for Plainville, KS

NOAA weather station Plainville 4 WNW (USC00146435), Kansas · elevation 2194 ft (669 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 6only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season178 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Plainville, KSSpring: a frost after April 7 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 3 in 1 year out of 10, before October 20 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 178 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 20Frost season at Plainville, KSSpring: a frost after April 7 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 3 in 1 year out of 10, before October 20 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 178 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 20
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 6October 3
50% (typical)April 23October 20
90% (likely)April 7November 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
178 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 12
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 29

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 26 (3 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 19 (1 day earlier). Frost-free season 176 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 at Plainville: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 6, 20% May 2, 30% April 30, 40% April 26, 50% April 23, 60% April 19, 70% April 16, 80% April 12, 90% April 7. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 26, 2023 May 2, 2024 April 22, 2025 April 19, 2026 April 20.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 6Apr 23Apr 72021: April 222022: April 262023: May 22024: April 222025: April 192026: April 20Fall at Plainville: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 3, 20% October 10, 30% October 14, 40% October 17, 50% October 20, 60% October 22, 70% October 24, 80% October 27, 90% November 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 21, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 22.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 3Oct 20Nov 12021: October 212022: October 172023: October 72024: October 162025: October 22
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 21
2022April 26October 17
2023May 2October 7
2024April 22October 16
2025April 19October 22
2026April 20season not over yet

What these dates mean

In Plainville the cautious fall date to finish harvesting tender crops is October 3, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived.

For spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is May 6, the point at which a light frost later than that date occurs with only a 10 % chance; the 50% date, April 23, marks the median odds of a frost. The 50% dates, April 23 and October 20, indicate the day on which a light frost is equally likely to have happened or not, giving gardeners a reference for average risk.

The 50% hard-frost dates are April 12 in spring and October 29 in fall. Hard frost at 28 °F can injure plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, so it represents a greater risk.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 6" 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 3" 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 Plainville, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Hays, KS — 27 mi; 2 — Wakeeney, KS — 31 mi; 3 — Russell, KS — 40 mi; 4 — Norton, KS — 42 mi; 5 — Quinter, KS — 48 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Hays, KS — 27 mi12. Wakeeney, KS — 31 mi23. Russell, KS — 40 mi34. Norton, KS — 42 mi45. Quinter, KS — 48 mi5
  1. Hays, KS 27 mi (43 km)
  2. Wakeeney, KS 31 mi (50 km)
  3. Russell, KS 40 mi (64 km)
  4. Norton, KS 42 mi (68 km)
  5. Quinter, KS 48 mi (77 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: 39.245, -99.3808.