Frost dates by ZIP code: The nearest NOAA stations to your ZIP, 1991-2020 normals
Enter a five-digit ZIP code. PlainClimate finds its center (Census Bureau 2024) and the five nearest NOAA stations with frost dates, and shows each station's last spring and first autumn 32°F dates with its distance and elevation.
Frost dates near ZIP 66503
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 66503 in zone 6b (the coldest night of a typical year: -5 to 0°F).
The nearest station, Tuttle Creek Lake, KS, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 22 in half of years and after May 5 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 6a.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tuttle Creek Lake, KS | 5 mi | 1,058 ft | April 22 | May 5 | October 20 | 6a |
| Manhattan station, KS | 8 mi | 1,060 ft | April 16 | May 1 | October 19 | – |
| Manhattan, KSManhattan Municipal Airport | 9 mi | 1,057 ft | April 21 | May 6 | October 16 | 6a |
| Manhattan (6 mi SSW), KS | 12 mi | 1,137 ft | April 19 | May 6 | October 17 | 6a |
| Milford, KSMilford Lake | 17 mi | 1,213 ft | April 12 | April 29 | October 26 | – |
Frost comes later in spring at higher and colder stations and earlier in low, open ground: prefer a station at a similar elevation to yours. Hardiness zone in the table: the USDA's rule (the average of each year's coldest night, 1991-2020) applied to the station's own record.
Every frost threshold at Tuttle Creek Lake
NOAA publishes the dates for several temperatures and odds. A 30% spring date means a 3-in-10 chance of a later frost (the convention almanacs use); 50% is the median; 10% the cautious date.
| Threshold | Spring, 10% | Spring, 30% | Spring, 50% | Spring, 90% | Autumn, 50% | Autumn, 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F (light frost) | May 14 | May 5 | April 30 | April 17 | October 8 | September 25 |
| 32°F | May 5 | April 27 | April 22 | April 8 | October 20 | October 4 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 26 | April 17 | April 10 | March 28 | October 28 | October 15 |
| 24°F | April 17 | April 6 | April 1 | March 14 | November 5 | October 23 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals; ZIP centers: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. Autumn 10%: one year in ten has its first frost before this date.