Frost Dates for 68826 — Central City, Nebraska

Half of springs at Central City, NE see their last 32°F night by April 28; only one in ten is past it by April 14, and one in ten still has one after May 10. Planting tender crops after May 2 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 5 20%, and after May 10 10%. The 12 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 57% of the 68 Nebraska stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

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 22 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 20; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 1, 9 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 184 days one year in ten and falls short of 147 one year in ten. On average 134 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 2. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 14 and March 18.

July is the warmest month at Central City, NE, averaging 86°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 35°F and 14°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 38% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,216 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 51% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 35% of them (1,118) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 758. Precipitation totals 28.5 inches a year, most in May (4.7") and least in January (0.8"); May to September bring 63% of it.

The nearest other station, Aurora, NE, 18 miles south of Central City, has a last frost 7 days earlier (April 21), a first frost 5 days later (October 15), a season 11 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Central City usually arrives around November 15, and the last of the season around March 22. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Central City, NE, 1.4 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 37 days after the last snow.

ZIP 68826 is 1 mile from Central City, NE, which stands at 1,700 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68826 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.