FrostDateCheck

Manhattan, KS 66503 Frost Dates

Frost dates for Manhattan, KS, ZIP 66503

Zone 6b

The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/22, about 237 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/20, about 179 frost-free days later.

Manhattan sits in USDA Zone 6b (-5 to 0°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.

What to do before the first frost

Zone 6b around Manhattan has about 8 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.

The actual range around Manhattan's last frost

04/22 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/08 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/05 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Manhattan compares

Manhattan's growing season runs about 179 days, ranking 25,152 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within KS, it ranks 548 of 745.

Learn more

the frost range explains how to read the range around Manhattan's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Manhattan can differ from the 66503 normal.