Frost Dates for 69101 — North Platte, Nebraska

Half of springs at N Platte Exp Farm, NE see their last 32°F night by May 3; only one in ten is past it by April 19, and one in ten still has one after May 15. Planting tender crops after May 8 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 11 20%, and after May 15 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 10 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 23 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 7, 8 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 158 days in a typical year, shorter than at 74% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 176 days one year in ten and falls short of 139 one year in ten. On average 163 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 11, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 12 and March 23.

July is the warmest month at N Platte Exp Farm, NE, averaging 87°F by day and 61°F at night; January is the coldest at 37°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 62% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,911 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 87% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 31% of them (906) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 747. Precipitation totals 21.2 inches a year, most in June (3.7") and least in January (0.3"); May to September bring 68% of it.

The nearest other station, Gothenburg, NE, 35 miles east of North Platte and 422 feet lower, has a last frost 3 days earlier (April 30), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 9), a season 4 days longer.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in North Platte usually arrives around November 4, and the last of the season around April 14. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at N Platte Exp Farm, NE, 5.2 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 19 days after the last snow.

ZIP 69101 is 5 miles from N Platte Exp Farm, NE, which stands at 3,025 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 69101 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.