Autumn 2009 Frost/Freeze Information

As the autumnal equinox has passed, we are now entering the time of the year when we can begin to expect much cooler nights, and eventually frosts and freezes. Once the low temperature reaches 32 degrees, the most vulnerable seasonal plants will succumb to the cold. And when the lows reach down to 28 degrees (a hard freeze), virtually all annual plants will die, while perennials enter their winter dormancy stage. Below is a table of select cities across eastern Kansas and Missouri with the average dates of the first light freeze (32 degrees) and first hard freeze (28 degrees).

City (period of record)

Avg First 32 degree day

Avg First 28 degree day
Amity (1946 – present)

Oct 15

Oct 25
Atchison KS (1893- current)

Oct 20

Oct 30
Bethany (1893 – current)

Oct 9

Oct 20
Boonville (1938 – current)

Oct 26

Nov 4
Brookfield (1942 – current)

Oct 16

Oct 28
Brunswick (1890 – current)

Oct 19

Oct 30
Butler (1946 – current)

Oct 17

Oct 29
Carrollton (1893 – current)

Oct 18

Oct 29
Chillicothe (1980 – current)

Oct 17

Oct 28
Clinton (1907 – current)

Oct 18

Oct 29
Grant City (1902 – current)

Oct 13

Oct 24
Hamilton (1954 – present)

Oct 11

Oct 20
Kansas City (1888 – current)

Oct 28

Nov 6
Kirksville (1893 – current)

Oct 12

Oct 25
Leavenworth (1892 – current)

Oct 20

Oct 31
Lees Summit (1962 – current)

Oct 17

Oct 28
Lexington (1892 – current)

Oct 21

Nov 1
Marshall (1893 – current)

Oct 19

Oct 30
Maryville (1895 – current)

Oct 12

Oct 21
Moberly (1936 – current)

Oct 22

Oct 31
Mound City KS (1950 – current)

Oct 16

Oct 27
New Franklin (1956 – current)

Oct 18

Oct 31
Nevada (1898 – current)

Oct 18

Oct 30
Olathe (1893 – current)

Oct 23

Nov 2
Oregon (1893 – current)

Oct 18

Oct 28
Paola (1895 – current)

Oct 17

Oct 30
Princeton (1893 – current)

Oct 10

Oct 21
Salisbury (1946 – current)

Oct 17

Oct 27
Sedalia (1893 – current)

Oct 17

Oct 30
St Joseph (1908 – present)

Oct 18

Oct 29
Sweet Springs (1941 – current)

Oct 15

Oct 27
Tarkio (1912 – current)

Oct 10

Oct 20
Trenton (1896 – current)

Oct 17

Oct 27
Troy KS (1950 – current)

Oct 16

Oct 29
Unionville (1893 – current)

Oct 13

Oct 24
Warrensburg (1899 – current)

Oct 21

Nov 1
Windsor (1893 – current)

Oct 19

Oct 29

Many have asked the question, "With such a cool summer this year, should we expect an early arrival of cold weather this fall?" Well, there is absolutely no correlation between cooler summers and the first freeze date and the arrival of winter. Below is a list of the top 15 coolest summers in Kansas City history (period of record 1888-2009), and the first light freeze and hard freeze dates. As can be seen, there are actually a vast minority of these years where the threshold temperature was reached more than a week before the average.

Top 15 Coolest KC Summers

First 32 degree day

First 28 degree day

1915

Nov 14

Nov 14

1992

Oct 27

Nov 7

1891

Oct 15

Nov 12

1985

Oct 1

Nov 7

2004

Nov 5

Nov 24

1927

Nov 5

Nov 15

1950

Nov 4

Nov 4

1904

Nov 11

Nov 12

1889

Oct 27

Nov 14

2009

Oct 18

?

1895

Oct 28

Oct 28

1903

Nov 16

Nov 16

1908

Oct 24

Nov 12

1893

Oct 28

Nov 4

1982

Oct 20

Oct 21

 

 

 

Kansas City Avg (1888-2008)

Oct 28

Nov 6

Earliest Date

Sep 22 in 1995

Oct 7 in 2000

Latest Date

Nov 24 in 1931

Nov 29 in 1905

You can monitor the regional frost/freeze and temperatures maps at The Midwest Regional Climate Center.

 

Fall Foliage Report 

Trees usually begin to change colors in portions of Northern Kansas and far Northern Missouri by the end of September and first week of October, progressively expanding southward as the month of October continues. However, normally it isn't until the middle of October when the true colors of fall appear. This is when maples, ashes, oaks and hickories are at the height of their fall display. Unfortunately, by late October, the colors have mostly faded and the leaves begin to drop from the trees. 

 For those interested in the progress of the fall color changes, follow the links below to the Missouri Department of Conservation for further details.  The Missouri Department of Conservation foresters updates fall color reports weekly from mid-September through early November.  In addition, for those interested in fall colors outside of the lower Missouri River Valley, the United States Department of Agriculture Forestry service has established a Fall 2009 leaf change webpage.  This page not only includes detailed information from around the country, but also includes a toll-free hotline for up-to-date fall foliage information.

USDA Forestry Service 2009 National Fall Coverage Page

 Included on both the Missouri and national fall colors pages are a detailed description of observed leaf changes across Missouri as well as some very interesting topics explaining many questions of the Fall season.  Some of these questions include:

 

Why do Leaves Change Color?

What is the Structure of a Leaf?

 What are a Few Common Fall Leaves?
 

 

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