U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00148964 · Kansas

Frost Dates for Winfield, KS

NOAA weather station Winfield 3 NE (USC00148964), Kansas · elevation 1233 ft (376 m) · hardiness zone 7a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 1only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season189 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone7acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Winfield, KSSpring: a frost after March 31 in 9 years out of 10, after April 16 in half of the years, after May 1 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 7 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 189 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 16First frost ~Oct 22Frost season at Winfield, KSSpring: a frost after March 31 in 9 years out of 10, after April 16 in half of the years, after May 1 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 7 in 1 year out of 10, before October 22 in half of the years, before November 3 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 189 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 16First frost ~Oct 22
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 1October 7
50% (typical)April 16October 22
90% (likely)March 31November 3
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
189 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 3
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
November 1

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 17 (1 day later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 23 (1 day later). Frost-free season 189 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 Winfield: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 1, 20% April 27, 30% April 23, 40% April 20, 50% April 16, 60% April 12, 70% April 8, 80% April 3, 90% March 31. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 27, 2023 April 24, 2024 April 5.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 1Apr 16Mar 312021: April 222022: April 272023: April 242024: April 5Fall at Winfield: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 7, 20% October 13, 30% October 17, 40% October 19, 50% October 22, 60% October 25, 70% October 27, 80% October 30, 90% November 3. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 30, 2022 October 18, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 16.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 7Oct 22Nov 32021: October 302022: October 182023: October 72024: October 16
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 30
2022April 27October 18
2023April 24October 7
2024April 5October 16
2025incomplete recordno data
2026no dataseason not over yet

What these dates mean

May 1 is the cautious spring date for tender crops in Winfield; with only a 10 % chance of a light frost after that day, a gardener can plan to set out sensitive seedlings with minimal risk.

October 7 serves as the cautious fall date, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived, so harvests of tender crops can be scheduled up to that point. The 50% date is April 16, indicating a 50 % chance of a light frost later than this date, and the 50% date is October 22, indicating a 50 % chance of a light frost earlier than this date. The 50% hard-frost dates are April 3 in spring and November 1 in fall.

Hard frost at 28 °F can cause injury that a 32 °F light frost does not, making it a more serious threat to plants.

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 7" 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 Winfield, KSNumbered nearest stations: 1 — Wellington, KS — 26 mi; 2 — El Dorado, KS — 37 mi; 3 — Wichita, KS — 37 mi; 4 — Howard, KS — 39 mi; 5 — Ponca City, OK — 39 mi.KSOK25 mi · 40 km1. Wellington, KS — 26 mi12. El Dorado, KS — 37 mi23. Wichita, KS — 37 mi34. Howard, KS — 39 mi45. Ponca City, OK — 39 mi5
  1. Wellington, KS 26 mi (42 km)
  2. El Dorado, KS 37 mi (60 km)
  3. Wichita, KS 37 mi (60 km)
  4. Howard, KS 39 mi (62 km)
  5. Ponca City, OK 39 mi (63 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: 37.2886, -96.9408.