Frost Dates for 68873 — Saint Paul, Nebraska

Half of springs at Saint Paul, NE see their last 32°F night by April 23; only one in ten is past it by April 10, and one in ten still has one after May 7. Planting tender crops after April 29 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 2 20%, and after May 7 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 14 in half of years, as early as September 28 one year in ten, and holds off past October 26 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 23; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is April 27, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 172 days in a typical year, longer than at 71% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 190 days one year in ten and falls short of 151 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 4. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 20 and March 16.

July is the warmest month at Saint Paul, NE, averaging 89°F by day and 65°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 25% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,532 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 87% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 35% of them (1,221) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 834. Precipitation totals 27.5 inches a year, most in May (4.5") and least in January (0.6"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Grand Island Airport, NE, 20 miles southeast of Saint Paul, has the same 50% last-frost date, a first frost 1 day later (October 15), a season 2 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Saint Paul usually arrives around November 17, and the last of the season around March 25. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Saint Paul, NE, 1.7 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 29 days after the last snow.

ZIP 68873 is 2 miles from Saint Paul, NE, which stands at 1,812 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68873 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.