Frost Dates for 69343 — Gordon, Nebraska

Half of springs at Ellsworth 15 NNE, NE see their last 32°F night by May 12; only one in ten is past it by May 1, and one in ten still has one after May 26. Planting tender crops after May 17 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 21 20%, and after May 26 10%. The 14 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is wider than at 72% of the 68 Nebraska stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 1 in half of years, as early as September 15 one year in ten, and holds off past October 14 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 10; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 13, 13 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 141 days in a typical year, shorter than at 96% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 159 days one year in ten and falls short of 122 one year in ten. On average 179 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 11 days longer, to about May 23, and return around September 21. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 4 and April 1.

July is the warmest month at Ellsworth 15 NNE, NE, averaging 86°F by day and 59°F at night; January is the coldest at 35°F and 12°F. A freezing night is all but certain in every month from October to May (a 90% chance or more). From June to August the chance of a 32°F night stays under 10% each month.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,479 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 99% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 30% of them (736) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 685. Precipitation totals 19.2 inches a year, most in June (3.2") and least in January (0.3"); May to September bring 67% of it.

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Gordon usually arrives around November 3, and the last of the season around April 18. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Ellsworth 15 NNE, NE, 23.6 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 24 days after the last snow.

ZIP 69343 is 24 miles from Ellsworth 15 NNE, NE, which stands at 3,970 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 69343 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.