Frost Dates for 68862 — Ord, Nebraska

Half of springs at Ord Evelyn Sharp Field, NE see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 22, and one in ten still has one after May 19. Planting tender crops after May 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 14 20%, and after May 19 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 72% of the 68 Nebraska stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 3 in half of years, as early as September 20 one year in ten, and holds off past October 15 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 9, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 150 days in a typical year, shorter than at 87% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 168 days one year in ten and falls short of 131 one year in ten. On average 164 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 14, and return around September 26. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 7 and March 27.

July is the warmest month at Ord Evelyn Sharp Field, NE, averaging 87°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 36°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 67% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,970 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 79% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 33% of them (980) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 762. Precipitation totals 24.1 inches a year, most in May (3.7") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 65% of it.

The nearest other station, Burwell, NE, 16 miles northwest of Ord, has a last frost 1 day earlier (May 4), a first frost 2 days later (October 5), a season 4 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ord usually arrives around November 9, and the last of the season around April 11. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ord #2, NE, 0.5 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 24 days after the last snow.

ZIP 68862 is 2 miles from Ord Evelyn Sharp Field, NE, which stands at 2,069 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68862 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.