USDA Hardiness Zone 5b
Frost Dates for 68801 — Grand Island, Nebraska
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Grand Island Airport, NE (1,840 ft), 3 miles north.
Updated
In Grand Island, the last spring frost (32°F) is around April 23 in half of years and has passed by May 6 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 15, as early as September 29 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 174 days (NOAA, Grand Island Airport, NE).
- Last spring frost
- April 23
- First fall frost
- October 15
- Growing season
- 174 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 11
- Last snow
- April 3
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 27.7"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Grand Island
Half of springs at Grand Island Airport, NE see their last 32°F night by April 23; only one in ten is past it by April 9, and one in ten still has one after May 6. Planting tender crops after April 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 20%, and after May 6 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 15 in half of years, as early as September 29 one year in ten, and holds off past October 27 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 27, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 174 days in a typical year, longer than at 76% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 194 days one year in ten and falls short of 154 one year in ten. On average 145 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 3, and return around October 5. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 18 and March 13.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Apr 21 | Apr 25 | Apr 28 | Apr 30 | May 3 | May 5 | May 8 | May 11 | May 15 |
| 32°F | Apr 9 | Apr 14 | Apr 17 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 29 | May 2 | May 6 |
| 28°F | Mar 31 | Apr 4 | Apr 6 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 15 | Apr 19 | Apr 22 | Apr 27 |
| 24°F | Mar 18 | Mar 24 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 5 | Apr 8 | Apr 12 | Apr 18 |
| 20°F | Mar 7 | Mar 13 | Mar 16 | Mar 21 | Mar 25 | Mar 28 | Mar 31 | Apr 3 | Apr 8 |
| 16°F | Feb 26 | Mar 2 | Mar 6 | Mar 10 | Mar 13 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Apr 1 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 22 | Sep 27 | Sep 30 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 18 |
| 32°F | Sep 29 | Oct 4 | Oct 8 | Oct 12 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 20 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 |
| 28°F | Oct 9 | Oct 15 | Oct 18 | Oct 21 | Oct 23 | Oct 26 | Oct 29 | Nov 1 | Nov 5 |
| 24°F | Oct 18 | Oct 23 | Oct 27 | Oct 30 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 6 | Nov 10 | Nov 16 |
| 20°F | Oct 27 | Nov 1 | Nov 4 | Nov 7 | Nov 10 | Nov 13 | Nov 16 | Nov 20 | Nov 25 |
| 16°F | Nov 1 | Nov 7 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 21 | Nov 24 | Nov 29 | Dec 5 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Grand Island Airport, 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 68801 →Compare Grand Island with another place →
Weather by month in Grand Island
July is the warmest month at Grand Island Airport, NE, averaging 88°F by day and 66°F at night; January is the coldest at 36°F and 16°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 3,550 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 91% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 35% of them (1,241) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 835. Precipitation totals 26.5 inches a year, most in May (4.7") and least in January (0.6"); May to September bring 66% of it.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | 32°F night | Nights ≤ 32°F | GDD 50°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 16 | 0.6 | 100% | 30 | 0 |
| Feb | 40 | 19 | 0.7 | 100% | 26 | 4 |
| Mar | 53 | 29 | 1.4 | 100% | 22 | 41 |
| Apr | 63 | 39 | 2.5 | 99% | 8 | 133 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.7 | 24% | 1 | 381 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 4.0 | 0% | 0 | 682 |
| Jul | 88 | 66 | 3.5 | 0% | 0 | 835 |
| Aug | 86 | 64 | 3.2 | 0% | 0 | 764 |
| Sep | 79 | 54 | 2.0 | 12% | <1 | 501 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 2.0 | 97% | 6 | 180 |
| Nov | 51 | 28 | 1.1 | 100% | 22 | 28 |
| Dec | 39 | 19 | 0.8 | 100% | 30 | 1 |
Monthly normals 1991–2020 at Grand Island Airport, NE (1,840 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, Aurora, NE, 18 miles east of Grand Island, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 21), the same first-frost date, a season 2 days longer.
When it snows in Grand Island, Nebraska
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Grand Island usually arrives around November 11, and the last of the season around April 3. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Grand Island Airport, NE, 2.8 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 20 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 68801
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 12 – February 26 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| February 26 – March 12 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| March 26 – April 9 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| April 23 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 23 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by October 1 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 15 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 68801 is 3 miles from Grand Island Airport, NE, which stands at 1,840 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68801 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.