U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00023064 · Kansas

Frost Dates for Garden City (Airport), KS

NOAA weather station Garden City Regional Airport (USW00023064), Kansas · elevation 2882 ft (878 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 9only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2750% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season170 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Garden City (Airport), KSSpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 27 in half of the years, after May 9 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 15 in half of the years, before October 27 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 170 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 27First frost ~Oct 15Frost season at Garden City (Airport), KSSpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 27 in half of the years, after May 9 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 15 in half of the years, before October 27 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 170 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 27First frost ~Oct 15
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 9October 1
50% (typical)April 27October 15
90% (likely)April 13October 27
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
170 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 17
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 25

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 27 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 18 (3 days later). Frost-free season 172 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 Garden City (Airport): chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 9, 20% May 6, 30% May 2, 40% April 30, 50% April 27, 60% April 24, 70% April 21, 80% April 18, 90% April 13. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 25, 2023 April 23, 2024 April 21, 2025 April 15, 2026 April 19.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 9Apr 27Apr 132021: April 222022: April 252023: April 232024: April 212025: April 152026: April 19Fall at Garden City (Airport): chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 1, 20% October 5, 30% October 9, 40% October 12, 50% October 15, 60% October 18, 70% October 20, 80% October 23, 90% October 27. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 15, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 19.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 1Oct 15Oct 272021: October 152022: October 172023: October 72024: October 162025: October 19
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 15
2022April 25October 17
2023April 23October 7
2024April 21October 16
2025April 15October 19
2026April 19season not over yet

What these dates mean

October 1 is the cautious fall date for finishing the harvest of tender crops in Garden City (Airport), where there is only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier.

The 50% light-frost dates are April 27 and October 15; there is a 50% chance of a frost later than April 27 in spring and a 50% chance of a frost earlier than October 15 in fall. The median hard-frost dates are April 17 and October 25, marking the point at which a 28 °F freeze becomes as likely as not. A hard frost matters more because the lower temperature can damage plants that survive a 32 °F light frost.

For a cautious planting plan, the spring cautious date is May 9, when only a 10% chance of a later light frost remains, while the fall cautious date is the October 1 date already noted.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 9" 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 1" 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 Garden City (Airport), KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — near Garden City, KS — 7 mi; 2 — Cimarron, KS — 22 mi; 3 — Lakin, KS — 29 mi; 4 — Ulysses, KS — 38 mi; 5 — Scott City, KS — 39 mi.CO25 mi · 40 km1. near Garden City, KS — 7 mi12. Cimarron, KS — 22 mi23. Lakin, KS — 29 mi34. Ulysses, KS — 38 mi45. Scott City, KS — 39 mi5
  1. near Garden City, KS 7 mi (11 km)
  2. Cimarron, KS 22 mi (36 km)
  3. Lakin, KS 29 mi (46 km)
  4. Ulysses, KS 38 mi (62 km)
  5. Scott City, KS 39 mi (63 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: 37.9272, -100.7247.