Shawnee climate

Shawnee Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Kansas City Downtown AP, 13.8 km from Shawnee, elevation 742 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Kansas City Downtown AP. A median date has an even chance of a later freeze in spring, or an earlier one in fall.

The last spring freeze typically comes around April 4 and the first fall freeze around November 2, a growing season of about 211 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 15, first October 25
Median at 32°F
last April 4, first November 2
Median at 28°F
last March 26, first November 11

Last freeze in spring

The chance of a later freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one spring in ten still freezes after the date; planting after the 10 percent date for 32°F is the cautious choice.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FMay 2Apr 26Apr 22Apr 18Apr 15Apr 12Apr 9Apr 5Apr 1
32°FApr 20Apr 14Apr 10Apr 7Apr 4Apr 2Mar 30Mar 25Mar 17
28°FApr 10Apr 5Apr 1Mar 30Mar 26Mar 22Mar 18Mar 13Mar 6
24°FApr 1Mar 27Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 6Mar 2Feb 25
20°FMar 22Mar 16Mar 12Mar 8Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18
16°FMar 14Mar 9Mar 5Mar 2Feb 27Feb 23Feb 18Feb 13Feb 4

First freeze in fall

The chance of an earlier freeze than the date shown. At 10 percent, one fall in ten freezes before the date.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°FOct 12Oct 17Oct 20Oct 23Oct 25Oct 27Oct 30Nov 1Nov 6
32°FOct 21Oct 25Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 5Nov 7Nov 11Nov 16
28°FOct 28Nov 1Nov 5Nov 8Nov 11Nov 14Nov 18Nov 22Nov 29
24°FNov 3Nov 9Nov 13Nov 16Nov 20Nov 24Nov 28Dec 1Dec 7
20°FNov 11Nov 16Nov 21Nov 25Nov 29Dec 2Dec 6Dec 12Dec 18
16°FNov 19Nov 26Dec 1Dec 5Dec 9Dec 14Dec 18Dec 23Dec 30

Growing season length

Days between the last spring and first fall freeze at each threshold, with the chance of a season at least that long.

Threshold10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%
36°F211204199195192187183177170
32°F234226220216211207203199191
28°F254246241236231227222216208
24°F272265259255251246241236227
20°F293284277272268263259252245
16°F312303295290284279273267258

How often it gets that cold

The share of years with at least one night at or below each temperature.

36°F or colder
100% of years
32°F or colder
100% of years
28°F or colder
100% of years
24°F or colder
100% of years
20°F or colder
100% of years
16°F or colder
100% of years

Degree days

A degree day is one degree of the daily mean temperature beyond a base, for one day. Heating degree days count cold (the fuel a house burns), cooling degree days heat, growing degree days the warmth a crop needs; each crop has its own base.

Heating degree days, base 65°F
4,613
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,708
Growing degree days, base 40°F
7,073
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,735
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,531
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,458
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,517

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,05203
February819016
March583692
April28027241
May81134519
June4349795
July0498962
August1442907
September35206622
October24643296
November591369
December92109

What this means

NOAA computes these from the daily lows at the station over 1991-2020, fitting the dates of each year's last and first freeze to a distribution, so a date can be stated at any level of risk. 36°F is a frost risk for tender plants on a clear, calm night, since the ground cools below the air above it; 32°F is a freeze; 28°F is a hard freeze that kills most annuals.

The station is 13.8 km from Shawnee. Low ground, valleys and open fields freeze earlier and later than a town center or a hillside.

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Sources

NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020, annual and seasonal normals for station USW00013988 (Kansas City Downtown AP). Public domain.