U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00003928 · Kansas

Frost Dates for Wichita, KS

NOAA weather station Wichita (USW00003928), Kansas · elevation 1335 ft (407 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter April 26only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1150% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season199 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Wichita, KSSpring: a frost after March 25 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after April 26 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 199 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 29Frost season at Wichita, KSSpring: a frost after March 25 in 9 years out of 10, after April 11 in half of the years, after April 26 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 15 in 1 year out of 10, before October 29 in half of the years, before November 10 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 199 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 11First frost ~Oct 29
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)April 26October 15
50% (typical)April 11October 29
90% (likely)March 25November 10
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
199 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
March 31
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 6

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 12 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 26 (3 days earlier). Frost-free season 199 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 Wichita: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 26, 20% April 21, 30% April 18, 40% April 14, 50% April 11, 60% April 7, 70% April 4, 80% March 31, 90% March 25. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 21, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 23, 2024 March 28, 2025 April 7, 2026 March 17.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 26Apr 11Mar 252021: April 212022: April 262023: April 232024: March 282025: April 72026: March 17Fall at Wichita: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 15, 20% October 20, 30% October 23, 40% October 26, 50% October 29, 60% October 31, 70% November 2, 80% November 5, 90% November 10. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 12, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 29, 2024 October 16, 2025 October 30.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 15Oct 29Nov 102021: November 122022: October 182023: October 292024: October 162025: 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 21November 12
2022April 26October 18
2023April 23October 29
2024March 28October 16
2025April 7October 30
2026March 17season not over yet

What these dates mean

April 26 is the cautious spring date, meaning there is only a 10 % chance of a light frost after that day and it lets a gardener set out tender crops with relatively low risk. In the fall, the cautious date is October 15, when the chance of a light frost earlier than that day is just 10 % and the harvest of tender crops can be finished with similar confidence.

The 50 % date is April 11 for the spring light-frost period and the 50 % date is October 29 for the fall, indicating an even odds chance of a light frost occurring around those days. The 50 % hard-frost date is March 31 in spring and November 6 in fall, marking the median point for a 28 °F frost. Together, these dates help a gardener gauge when frost risk shifts from unlikely to likely.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives a light frost at 32 °F.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 26" 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 15" 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 Wichita, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Newton, KS — 26 mi; 2 — Wellington, KS — 27 mi; 3 — El Dorado, KS — 35 mi; 4 — Hutchinson, KS — 37 mi; 5 — Winfield, KS — 37 mi.OK25 mi · 40 km1. Newton, KS — 26 mi12. Wellington, KS — 27 mi23. El Dorado, KS — 35 mi34. Hutchinson, KS — 37 mi45. Winfield, KS — 37 mi5
  1. Newton, KS 26 mi (42 km)
  2. Wellington, KS 27 mi (43 km)
  3. El Dorado, KS 35 mi (56 km)
  4. Hutchinson, KS 37 mi (60 km)
  5. Winfield, KS 37 mi (60 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 7a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 37.6544, -97.4425.