Lee's Summit climate

Lee's Summit Frost Dates and Growing Season

NOAA 1991-2020 normals for Lees Summit Muni AP, 5.5 km from Lee's Summit, elevation 997 ft

Frost and the growing season

NOAA's 1991-2020 freeze probabilities for Lees Summit Muni 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 7 and the first fall freeze around October 29, a growing season of about 202 days.

Median at 36°F
last April 19, first October 19
Median at 32°F
last April 7, first October 29
Median at 28°F
last March 28, first November 7

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 4Apr 30Apr 25Apr 22Apr 19Apr 16Apr 13Apr 8Apr 3
32°FApr 24Apr 18Apr 13Apr 9Apr 7Apr 4Apr 1Mar 29Mar 21
28°FApr 11Apr 6Apr 3Mar 31Mar 28Mar 24Mar 20Mar 16Mar 10
24°FApr 2Mar 29Mar 25Mar 21Mar 17Mar 14Mar 10Mar 5Mar 1
20°FMar 26Mar 19Mar 15Mar 11Mar 7Mar 4Mar 1Feb 25Feb 18
16°FMar 16Mar 11Mar 7Mar 3Feb 28Feb 25Feb 21Feb 14Feb 5

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 2Oct 10Oct 13Oct 16Oct 19Oct 21Oct 24Oct 27Nov 1
32°FOct 14Oct 19Oct 23Oct 26Oct 29Oct 31Nov 3Nov 6Nov 12
28°FOct 24Oct 29Nov 1Nov 4Nov 7Nov 10Nov 14Nov 18Nov 24
24°FNov 2Nov 6Nov 11Nov 15Nov 18Nov 23Nov 27Dec 1Dec 7
20°FNov 9Nov 16Nov 20Nov 25Nov 28Dec 1Dec 5Dec 10Dec 16
16°FNov 19Nov 27Dec 1Dec 5Dec 8Dec 12Dec 17Dec 21Dec 27

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°F202195190186182177173168160
32°F224215210206202198193188180
28°F247239233228224220214209202
24°F268260254249245241236229222
20°F289281274268264260254249240
16°F309300294288282277271265258

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
4,786
Cooling degree days, base 65°F
1,446
Growing degree days, base 40°F
6,697
Growing degree days, base 45°F
5,370
Growing degree days, base 50°F
4,183
Growing degree days, base 55°F
3,132
Growing degree days, base 60°F
2,217

Growing degree days by month, base 50°F

Heating and cooling by month

MonthHeating DDCooling DDGrowing DD 50
January1,06804
February837017
March611379
April30621221
May97108479
June5296741
July1434899
August2381845
September48168571
October27633261
November599260
December93809

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 5.5 km from Lee's Summit. 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 USW00053879 (Lees Summit Muni AP). Public domain.