U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00146549 · Kansas

Frost Dates for Pratt, KS

NOAA weather station Pratt 3 NW (USC00146549), Kansas · elevation 1942 ft (592 m) · hardiness zone 6b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 2only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2050% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season183 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Pratt, KSSpring: a frost after April 6 in 9 years out of 10, after April 20 in half of the years, after May 2 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 4 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: 183 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 20First frost ~Oct 20Frost season at Pratt, KSSpring: a frost after April 6 in 9 years out of 10, after April 20 in half of the years, after May 2 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 4 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: 183 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 20First 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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 2October 4
50% (typical)April 20October 20
90% (likely)April 6November 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
183 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 9
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 30

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 19 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 22 (2 days later). Frost-free season 186 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 Pratt: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 2, 20% April 29, 30% April 26, 40% April 23, 50% April 20, 60% April 17, 70% April 14, 80% April 11, 90% April 6. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 23.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 2Apr 20Apr 62021: April 222022: April 262023: April 23Fall at Pratt: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 4, 20% October 12, 30% October 16, 40% October 18, 50% October 20, 60% October 23, 70% October 25, 80% October 28, 90% November 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 12, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 7.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 4Oct 20Nov 12021: November 122022: October 172023: October 7
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 12
2022April 26October 17
2023April 23October 7
2024no datano data
2025no datano data
2026no dataseason not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in Pratt is October 4, when there is only a 10% chance a light frost has arrived. In spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is May 2, which carries a 10% chance of a later frost, while the gamble date is April 6 with a 90% chance. The 50% dates represent the point at which a light frost is equally likely to have occurred or not; for this station they are April 20 in spring and October 20 in fall. The median hard-frost dates, when a temperature of 28 °F is equally likely, are April 9 and October 30. A hard frost can damage plants that survive a light frost, so it is a more critical threshold 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 May 2" 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 4" 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 Pratt, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Hudson, KS — 30 mi; 2 — Coldwater, KS — 41 mi; 3 — Hutchinson, KS — 44 mi; 4 — Great Bend, KS — 48 mi; 5 — Sterling, KS — 49 mi.KSOK25 mi · 40 km1. Hudson, KS — 30 mi12. Coldwater, KS — 41 mi23. Hutchinson, KS — 44 mi34. Great Bend, KS — 48 mi45. Sterling, KS — 49 mi5
  1. Hudson, KS 30 mi (49 km)
  2. Coldwater, KS 41 mi (66 km)
  3. Hutchinson, KS 44 mi (72 km)
  4. Great Bend, KS 48 mi (77 km)
  5. Sterling, KS 49 mi (78 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: 37.6731, -98.7761.