Frost Dates for 68850 — Lexington, Nebraska

Half of springs at Canaday Steam Plt, NE see their last 32°F night by April 26; only one in ten is past it by April 13, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after May 1 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 3 20%, and after May 7 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 13 in half of years, as early as September 29 one year in ten, and holds off past October 24 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 21; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 30, 7 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 169 days in a typical year, longer than at 62% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 187 days one year in ten and falls short of 149 one year in ten. On average 154 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 4, and return around October 3. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 16 and March 15.

July is the warmest month at Canaday Steam Plt, NE, averaging 86°F by day and 64°F at night; January is the coldest at 38°F and 15°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 32% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,214 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 53% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 34% of them (1,088) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 783. Precipitation totals 23.4 inches a year, most in June (3.9") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 68% of it.

The nearest other station, Gothenburg, NE, 24 miles northwest of Lexington and 241 feet higher, has a last frost 4 days later (April 30), a first frost 4 days earlier (October 9), a season 7 days shorter.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Lexington usually arrives around December 8, and the last of the season around March 19. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Canaday Steam Plt, NE, 6.7 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 38 days after the last snow.

ZIP 68850 is 7 miles from Canaday Steam Plt, NE, which stands at 2,362 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68850 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.