Frost Dates for 69001 — Mc Cook, Nebraska

Half of springs at Mc Cook, NE see their last 32°F night by May 2; only one in ten is past it by April 19, and one in ten still has one after May 14. Planting tender crops after May 7 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 10 20%, and after May 14 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 9 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 20 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 5, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 159 days in a typical year, shorter than at 71% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 177 days one year in ten and falls short of 140 one year in ten. On average 156 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 11, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 13 and March 22.

July is the warmest month at Mc Cook, NE, averaging 91°F by day and 62°F at night; January is the coldest at 42°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 57% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,293 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 54% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 33% of them (1,097) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 813. Precipitation totals 22.8 inches a year, most in June (3.4") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 65% of it.

The nearest other station, Oberlin, KS, 28 miles south of Mc Cook, has a last frost 2 days earlier (April 30), a first frost 2 days later (October 11), a season 4 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Mc Cook usually arrives around November 16, and the last of the season around April 6. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Mc Cook, NE, 1.1 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 26 days after the last snow.

ZIP 69001 is 1 mile from Mc Cook, NE, which stands at 2,602 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 69001 in zone 6a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -10 to -5°F (-23.3 to -20.6°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.