Altoona, KS 66710 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Altoona, KS?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/10, roughly 225 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/28, about 199 frost-free days later.
Altoona sits in USDA Zone 7a (0 to 5°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
About 9 weeks of growing season left in Altoona before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
04/10 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 03/24 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 04/26 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Altoona compares
Altoona's growing season runs about 199 days, ranking 18,206 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within KS, it ranks 163 of 745.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Altoona can differ from the 66710 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 7a and Altoona's frost date answer different questions.