Frost Dates for 68883 — Wood River, Nebraska

Half of springs at Hastings 4N, NE see their last 32°F night by April 25; only one in ten is past it by April 10, 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 4 20%, and after May 7 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 14 in half of years, as early as September 30 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 30, 7 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 171 days in a typical year, longer than at 68% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 191 days one year in ten and falls short of 152 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 9 days longer, to about May 4, and return around October 4. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 16 and March 15.

July is the warmest month at Hastings 4N, NE, averaging 87°F by day and 65°F at night; January is the coldest at 36°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 33% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,359 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 63% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 35% of them (1,168) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 797. Precipitation totals 27.9 inches a year, most in May (4.6") and least in January (0.6"); May to September bring 64% of it.

The nearest other station, Hastings Municipal Airport, NE, 17 miles southeast of Wood River, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 22), a first frost 2 days later (October 16), a season 5 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Wood River usually arrives around November 15, and the last of the season around April 5. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Hastings 4N, NE, 15.8 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 20 days after the last snow.

ZIP 68883 is 16 miles from Hastings 4N, NE, which stands at 1,938 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 68883 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.