Frost dates in Kansas City, Missouri
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 Kansas City is April 4, and the average first fall frost is November 2, from NOAA's Kansas City Downtown Airport station, 3 miles from the middle of Kansas City. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after April 20, and the first one by October 21. That leaves about 212 frost-free days. Kansas City is in USDA planting zone 6b.
Weather stations around Kansas City
The first row is the date most people in Kansas City go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Downtown Airport 3 mi away, 742 ft | April 4 1 in 10 after April 20 | November 2 1 in 10 by October 21 | 212 days |
| Independence 10 mi away, 985 ft | April 10 1 in 10 after April 26 | October 27 1 in 10 by October 14 | 200 days |
| Lees Summit Muni Airport 15 mi away, 997 ft | April 7 1 in 10 after April 24 | October 29 1 in 10 by October 14 | 205 days |
| Kansas City Intl Airport 15 mi away, 1,005 ft | April 13 1 in 10 after April 29 | October 24 1 in 10 by October 9 | 194 days |
| Smithville Lake 18 mi away, 904 ft | April 18 1 in 10 after May 3 | October 20 1 in 10 by October 5 | 185 days |
Distances are from the middle of Kansas City 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 64124, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Kansas City 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 Missouri, station by station.
Other Missouri cities: St. Louis · Springfield
Nearby: Kansas City, KS · Overland Park, KS · Olathe, KS
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