U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00140010 · Kansas

Frost Dates for Abilene, KS

NOAA weather station Abilene (USC00140010), Kansas · elevation 1187 ft (362 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 1only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season190 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Abilene, KSSpring: a frost after March 30 in 9 years out of 10, after April 14 in half of the years, after May 1 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 8 in 1 year out of 10, before October 23 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 190 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 14First frost ~Oct 23Frost season at Abilene, KSSpring: a frost after March 30 in 9 years out of 10, after April 14 in half of the years, after May 1 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 8 in 1 year out of 10, before October 23 in half of the years, before November 5 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 190 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 14First frost ~Oct 23
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.Today

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 1October 8
50% (typical)April 14October 23
90% (likely)March 30November 5
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
190 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 2
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 2

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 15 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 22 (1 day earlier). 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 at Abilene: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 1, 20% April 26, 30% April 21, 40% April 18, 50% April 14, 60% April 11, 70% April 8, 80% April 3, 90% March 30. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 23, 2025 April 9, 2026 April 6.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 1Apr 14Mar 302021: April 222022: April 262023: April 232025: April 92026: April 6Fall at Abilene: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 8, 20% October 14, 30% October 18, 40% October 20, 50% October 23, 60% October 26, 70% October 29, 80% November 1, 90% November 5. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 13, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 28, 2025 October 30.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 8Oct 23Nov 52021: November 132022: October 182023: October 282025: October 30
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 13
2022April 26October 18
2023April 23October 28
2024incomplete recordno data
2025April 9October 30
2026April 6season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 1 is the cautious spring date for Abilene; with only a 10 % chance of a light frost after that day, a gardener can plan to set out tender crops with minimal risk. The earlier date of March 30 carries a 90 % chance and is a gamble.

The 50 % light-frost dates are April 14 in spring and October 23 in fall; on each of those days there is an even chance that a frost will occur later (spring) or earlier (fall). The median hard-frost dates are April 2 and November 2, indicating the point at which a 28 °F frost is as likely as not.

October 8 is the cautious fall date, marking a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived earlier, so tender crops can be harvested up to that point. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, 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 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 8" 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 Abilene, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Herington, KS — 23 mi; 2 — Minneapolis, KS — 30 mi; 3 — Clay Center, KS — 31 mi; 4 — near Marion, KS — 39 mi; 5 — near Manhattan, KS — 40 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Herington, KS — 23 mi12. Minneapolis, KS — 30 mi23. Clay Center, KS — 31 mi34. near Marion, KS — 39 mi45. near Manhattan, KS — 40 mi5
  1. Herington, KS 23 mi (37 km)
  2. Minneapolis, KS 30 mi (48 km)
  3. Clay Center, KS 31 mi (50 km)
  4. near Marion, KS 39 mi (62 km)
  5. near Manhattan, KS 40 mi (64 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: 38.9267, -97.2128.