Frost Dates for 69201 — Valentine, Nebraska

Half of springs at Valentine Nwr, NE see their last 32°F night by April 30; only one in ten is past it by April 16, and one in ten still has one after May 12. Planting tender crops after May 4 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 7 20%, and after May 12 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 11 in half of years, as early as September 26 one year in ten, and holds off past October 24 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 21; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 3, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 163 days in a typical year, shorter than at 54% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 182 days one year in ten and falls short of 144 one year in ten. On average 151 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 9, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and March 20.

July is the warmest month at Valentine Nwr, NE, averaging 88°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 38°F and 17°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 45% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,254 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), more than at 51% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 32% of them (1,049) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 792. Precipitation totals 23.2 inches a year, most in June (4.5") and least in December (0.3"); May to September bring 69% of it.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Valentine usually arrives around November 3, and the last of the season around April 17. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Valentine Nwr, NE, 10.4 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 13 days after the last snow.

ZIP 69201 is 10 miles from Valentine Nwr, NE, which stands at 2,940 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 69201 in zone 5a, the band where the coldest night of the year averaged -20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) over 1991–2020; a zone describes winter lows, not frost dates.