Frost Dates for 68823 — Burwell, Nebraska

Half of springs at Burwell, NE see their last 32°F night by May 4; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 8 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 11 20%, and after May 15 10%. The 11 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 84% of the 68 Nebraska stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 5 in half of years, as early as September 24 one year in ten, and holds off past October 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 15; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 6, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 154 days in a typical year, shorter than at 84% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 171 days one year in ten and falls short of 135 one year in ten. On average 162 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 9 days longer, to about May 13, and return around September 28. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 8 and March 25.

July is the warmest month at Burwell, NE, averaging 86°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 34°F and 12°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 65% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,953 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 82% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 33% of them (966) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 762. Precipitation totals 25.8 inches a year, most in May (4.0") and least in January (0.5"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Ord Evelyn Sharp Field, NE, 16 miles southeast of Burwell, has a last frost 1 day later (May 5), a first frost 2 days earlier (October 3), a season 4 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Burwell usually arrives around November 11, and the last of the season around April 12. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Burwell, NE, 3.2 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 22 days after the last snow.

ZIP 68823 is 3 miles from Burwell, NE, which stands at 2,176 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68823 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.