USDA Hardiness Zone 5a
Frost Dates for 69356 — Minatare, Nebraska
NOAA 1991–2020 normals from Minatare Dam (Usbr), NE (4,144 ft), 4 miles north.
Updated
In Minatare, the last spring frost (32°F) is around May 5 in half of years and has passed by May 16 in nine years out of ten. The first fall frost comes around October 11, as early as September 28 one year in ten, leaving a typical freeze-free season of 156 days (NOAA, Minatare Dam (Usbr), NE).
- Last spring frost
- May 5
- First fall frost
- October 11
- Growing season
- 156 days
- Hardiness zone
- 5a
50% probability
50% probability
freeze-free, 50%
-20 to -15°F (-28.9 to -26.1°C) coldest night
- First snow
- October 27
- Last snow
- April 23
- Winters with snow
- 100%
- Snow per year
- 42.5"
median, 1991–2020
median, 1991–2020
30 of 30 observed
NOAA normal
Frost risk by date in Minatare
Half of springs at Minatare Dam (Usbr), NE see their last 32°F night by May 5; only one in ten is past it by April 21, and one in ten still has one after May 16. Planting tender crops after May 10 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 13 20%, and after May 16 10%. The 11 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 84% 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 28 one year in ten, and holds off past October 24 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 8 days later, around October 19; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 7, 9 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 156 days in a typical year, shorter than at 81% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 175 days one year in ten and falls short of 137 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 10 days longer, to about May 15, and return around October 1. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 15 and March 17.
| Low | 90% | 80% | 70% | 60% | 50% | 40% | 30% | 20% | 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | May 3 | May 7 | May 10 | May 13 | May 15 | May 18 | May 20 | May 24 | May 29 |
| 32°F | Apr 21 | Apr 27 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 5 | May 7 | May 10 | May 13 | May 16 |
| 28°F | Apr 7 | Apr 13 | Apr 16 | Apr 20 | Apr 23 | Apr 26 | Apr 30 | May 2 | May 7 |
| 24°F | Mar 22 | Mar 30 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 9 | Apr 12 | Apr 16 | Apr 21 | Apr 26 |
| 20°F | Mar 8 | Mar 15 | Mar 21 | Mar 26 | Mar 31 | Apr 2 | Apr 5 | Apr 11 | Apr 17 |
| 16°F | Feb 27 | Mar 3 | Mar 7 | Mar 12 | Mar 17 | Mar 22 | Mar 27 | Mar 31 | Apr 5 |
| Low | 10% | 20% | 30% | 40% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F | Sep 17 | Sep 22 | Sep 26 | Sep 29 | Oct 1 | Oct 4 | Oct 6 | Oct 9 | Oct 14 |
| 32°F | Sep 28 | Oct 2 | Oct 5 | Oct 8 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 16 | Oct 19 | Oct 24 |
| 28°F | Oct 6 | Oct 11 | Oct 14 | Oct 17 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 27 | Nov 1 |
| 24°F | Oct 14 | Oct 19 | Oct 22 | Oct 25 | Oct 28 | Oct 30 | Nov 3 | Nov 6 | Nov 13 |
| 20°F | Oct 20 | Oct 26 | Oct 30 | Nov 2 | Nov 5 | Nov 9 | Nov 13 | Nov 17 | Nov 23 |
| 16°F | Oct 26 | Nov 2 | Nov 6 | Nov 11 | Nov 15 | Nov 18 | Nov 22 | Nov 25 | Nov 30 |
Freeze probabilities 1991–2020 at Minatare Dam (Usbr), NE, from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Where a temperature is reached in fewer than 99.5% of years, the dates describe only the years that reach it. Not a forecast.
Frost risk on any date in 69356 →Compare Minatare with another place →
Compared with the next station
The nearest other station, Scottsbluff 1E, NE, 9 miles west of Minatare and 235 feet lower, has a last frost 3 days later (May 8), a first frost 8 days earlier (October 3), a season 9 days shorter.
When it snows in Minatare, Nebraska
The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Minatare usually arrives around October 27, and the last of the season around April 23. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Scottsbluff Heilig Airport, NE, 6.3 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 12 days after the last snow.
Planting calendar for 69356
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| February 24 – March 10 | Start peppers and aubergines indoorsThey need eight to ten weeks under lights before they can go out. |
| March 10 – March 24 | Start tomatoes indoorsSix to eight weeks gives a transplant big enough to set fruit early. |
| April 7 – April 21 | Sow peas, spinach, lettuce, radish outdoorsThese tolerate light frost and prefer to germinate in cool soil. |
| May 5 onward | Transplant tomatoes, peppers, basil, squash, cucumbersThe average last freeze has passed — still watch the actual forecast. |
| by July 19 | Sow the autumn crop of carrots, beets and brassicasThey need about twelve weeks to size up before growth stops. |
| by September 27 | Harvest tender crops, or be ready to cover themA first freeze two weeks early is well within normal variation. |
| October 11 onward | Plant garlic, mulch beds, lift tender bulbsGarlic wants a cold spell; bare soil loses structure over winter. |
The weeks before and after the 50% dates are general rules of thumb, not NOAA figures; a seed packet gives the timing for each variety.
Where these figures come from
ZIP 69356 is 4 miles from Minatare Dam (Usbr), NE, which stands at 4,144 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station; its figures are presented in full for 69334 (Bayard). The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 69356 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.
Hardiness zone and temperature range: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (USDA-ARS, Oregon State University), ZIP-code listing, unchanged. °C converted from °F by this site.
Thirty-year averages, not a forecast: check the forecast before planting out. How stations are matched and which pages are offered to search engines: methodology.