Frost Dates for 69210 — Ainsworth, Nebraska

Half of springs at Ainsworth, 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 8 in half of years, as early as September 25 one year in ten, and holds off past October 21 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 10 days later, around October 18; 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 158 days in a typical year, shorter than at 74% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 177 days one year in ten and falls short of 139 one year in ten. On average 144 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 12, and return around September 30. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 12 and March 23.

July is the warmest month at Ainsworth, NE, averaging 88°F by day and 63°F at night; January is the coldest at 37°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 58% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 3,181 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 59% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 32% of them (1,022) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 786. Precipitation totals 23.8 inches a year, most in May (3.8") and least in January (0.4"); May to September bring 68% of it.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Ainsworth usually arrives around November 4, and the last of the season around April 16. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ainsworth, NE, 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 16 days after the last snow.

ZIP 69210 is 2 miles from Ainsworth, NE, which stands at 2,510 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 69210 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.