USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 68008 — Blair, Nebraska
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Blair, NE (1,090 ft), 1 miles northeast.
Updated
In Blair, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 22 in half of years and has passed by May 5 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 17, as early as September 30 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 177 days (NOAA, Blair, NE).
- Last spring frost
- April 22
- First fall frost
- October 17
- Growing season
- 177 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5b
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) coldest night
- First snow
- November 20
- Last snow
- March 29
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 34.4"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
25 of 25 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Blair
Half of springs at Blair, NE see their last 32°F night by April 22; only one in ten is past it by April 9, and one in ten still has one after May 5. Planting tender crops after April 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 1 20%, and after May 5 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 29% of the 68 Nebraska stations behind this site's ZIP pages.
In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 17 in half of years, as early as September 30 one year in ten, and holds off past October 30 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 27; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 26, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 177 days in a typical year, longer than at 85% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 196 days one year in ten and falls short of 155 one year in ten. On average 143 nights a year drop to 32°F or below. Nights of 36°F, when frost can still settle on leaves in low, open spots, continue 10 days longer, to about May 2, and return around October 6. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 20 and March 15.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 20 | Apr 24 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 4 | May 6 | May 10 | May 14 |
| 32°F | Apr 9 | Apr 13 | Apr 17 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 25 | Apr 29 | May 1 | May 5 |
| 28°F | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 7 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 14 | Apr 18 | Apr 21 | Apr 26 |
| 24°F | Mar 17 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 17 |
| 20°F | Mar 8 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 29 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 8 |
| 16°F | Mar 1 | Mar 4 | Mar 8 | Mar 11 | Mar 15 | Mar 18 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 21 | Sep 26 | Sep 30 | Oct 3 | Oct 6 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 16 | Oct 20 |
| 32°F | Sep 30 | Oct 6 | Oct 10 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 25 | Oct 30 |
| 28°F | Oct 13 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 8 |
| 24°F | Oct 23 | Oct 28 | Oct 31 | Nov 2 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 9 | Nov 12 | Nov 17 |
| 20°F | Oct 31 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 9 | Nov 11 | Nov 14 | Nov 17 | Nov 21 | Nov 27 |
| 16°F | Nov 5 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 23 | Nov 27 | Dec 1 | Dec 6 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Blair, NE, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 68008 →Compare Blair with another place →
Weather by month in Blair
July is the warmest month at Blair, NE, averaging 86°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 31°F and 13°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to April (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month. In spring, May still brings one in 24% of years.
Warmth for growing adds up to 3,305 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 59% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 34% of them (1,140) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 779.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 13 | 100% | 30 | 0 |
| Feb | 37 | 17 | 100% | 25 | 1 |
| Mar | 50 | 27 | 100% | 23 | 31 |
| Apr | 62 | 38 | 99% | 8 | 109 |
| May | 73 | 50 | 24% | 1 | 365 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 0% | 0 | 633 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 0% | 0 | 779 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 0% | 0 | 716 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 11% | <1 | 463 |
| Oct | 65 | 41 | 93% | 5 | 182 |
| Nov | 49 | 28 | 100% | 22 | 25 |
| Dec | 36 | 18 | 100% | 29 | 1 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Blair, NE (1,090 ft), NOAA NCEI. "32°F night": chance of at least one in the month. GDD: growing degree days, base 50°F.
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Fort Calhoun 4W, NE, 7 miles southeast of Blair and 220 feet higher, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 19), the same first-frost date, a season 3 days longer.
When it snows in Blair, Nebraska
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Blair usually arrives around November 20, and the last of the season around March 29. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Bennington 3WSW, NE, 13.1 miles away: half of years saw snow earlier, half later. Every one of those winters saw snow. The last 32°F night of spring typically comes 24 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 68008
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 11 – February 25 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 25 – March 11 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 25 – April 8 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 22 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 25 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 3 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 17 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 68008 is 1 mile from Blair, NE, which stands at 1,090 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68008 in zone 5b, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -15 to -10°F (-26.1 to -23.3°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.