Frost Dates for 69361 — Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Half of springs at Scottsbluff 1E, NE see their last 32°F night by May 8; only one in ten is past it by April 25, and one in ten still has one after May 21. Planting tender crops after May 13 leaves a 30% risk of a frost on them, after May 16 20%, and after May 21 10%. The 13 days between the even-odds date and the one-in-ten date is narrower than at 29% of the 68 Nebraska stations behind this site's ZIP pages.

In fall the first 32°F night comes by October 3 in half of years, as early as September 19 one year in ten, and holds off past October 16 one year in ten. A hard freeze of 28°F follows 9 days later, around October 12; in spring the one-in-ten date for 28°F is May 11, 10 days before the 32°F one. The freeze-free season lasts 147 days in a typical year, shorter than at 91% of the 68 Nebraska stations; it reaches 166 days one year in ten and falls short of 128 one year in ten. On average 170 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 18, and return around September 24. Severe cold of 16°F or below comes every winter, usually between November 7 and March 24.

July is the warmest month at Scottsbluff 1E, NE, averaging 89°F by day and 60°F at night; December is the coldest at 40°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 77% of years.

Warmth for growing adds up to 2,773 growing degree days a year (base 50°F), fewer than at 91% of the 68 Nebraska stations. 30% of them (841) have built up by the end of June, and July adds the most, 750. Precipitation totals 15.8 inches a year, most in May (2.9") and least in January (0.3"); May to September bring 63% of it.

The nearest other station, Mitchell 5E, NE, 5 miles northwest of Scottsbluff and 171 feet higher, has a last frost 1 day earlier (May 7), a first frost 1 day earlier (October 2).

The first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more) in Scottsbluff usually arrives around November 1, and the last of the season around May 2. Those are the middle dates across the winters of 1991–2020 at Scottsbluff 1E, NE, 1.6 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 6 days after the last snow.

ZIP 69361 is 2 miles from Scottsbluff 1E, NE, which stands at 3,909 feet, the nearest NOAA station that publishes freeze probabilities for 1991–2020. 1 other ZIP code shares the station. The 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map lists ZIP 69361 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.