Frost Dates for 68061 — Tekamah, Nebraska

Half of springs at Tekamah, NE see their last 32°F night by April 28; only one in ten is past it by April 15, and one in ten still has one after May 8. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 4 20%, and after May 8 10%. The 10 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is the narrowest of the 68 Nebraska stations behind this site's ZIP pages, so the end of frost is fairly predictable.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 10 in half of years, as early as September 27 one year in ten, and holds off past October 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 11 days later, around October 21; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 165 days in a typical year, longer than at 51% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 183 days one year in ten and falls short of 147 one year in ten. On average 148 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 8 days longer, to about May 6, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and March 21.

July is the warmest month at Tekamah, NE, averaging 88°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 33°F and 10°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 35% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,350 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 62% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 35% of them (1,182) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 794. Precipitation totals 31.7 inches a year, most in June (4.6") and least in January (0.8"); May to September bring 62% of it.

The nearest other station, Blair, NE, 16 miles south of Tekamah, has a last frost 6 days earlier (April 22), a first frost 7 days later (October 17), a season 12 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Tekamah usually arrives around November 23, and the last of the season around March 20. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Tekamah, NE, 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 39 days after the last snow.

ZIP 68061 is 1 mile from Tekamah, NE, which stands at 1,140 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68061 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.