Frost dates in Wichita, Kansas
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.
Short answer
The average last spring frost in Wichita is April 11, and the average first fall frost is October 29, from NOAA's Wichita station, 6 miles from the middle of Wichita. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 26, and the first one by October 15. That leaves about 201 frost-free days. Wichita is in USDA planting zone 7a.
Weather stations around Wichita
The first row is the date most people in Wichita go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wichita 6 mi away, 1,335 ft | April 11 1 in 10 after April 26 | October 29 1 in 10 by October 15 | 201 days |
| Wichita Wx 6 mi away, 1,334 ft | April 8 1 in 10 after April 25 | October 27 1 in 10 by October 11 | 202 days |
| Wichita Jabara Airport 8 mi away, 1,421 ft | April 10 1 in 10 after April 27 | October 27 1 in 10 by October 13 | 200 days |
| Haysville 3SE 12 mi away, 1,240 ft | April 14 1 in 10 after April 30 | October 22 1 in 10 by October 5 | 191 days |
| Newton 23 mi away, 1,441 ft | April 14 1 in 10 after April 27 | October 25 1 in 10 by October 12 | 194 days |
Distances are from the middle of Wichita as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 67202, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Wichita covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.
How these dates work
Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.
The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.
More frost dates
All of Kansas, station by station.
Other Kansas cities: Overland Park · Kansas City · Olathe
Nearby: Tulsa, OK · Oklahoma City, OK
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer