U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00250375 · Nebraska

Frost Dates near Ashland, NE

NOAA weather station Ashland #2 (USC00250375), Nebraska · elevation 1118 ft (341 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

Ashland is the nearest town to the station (0.7 mi away) in GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). The dates below are measured at the station, not in the town itself.

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 5only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1650% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season175 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Ashland, NESpring: a frost after April 8 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 29 in 1 year out of 10, before October 16 in half of the years, before October 27 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 175 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 16Frost season near Ashland, NESpring: a frost after April 8 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 5 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 29 in 1 year out of 10, before October 16 in half of the years, before October 27 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 175 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 16
frost likely chance fading 90% → 10% frost-free in a typical yearThe year at a glance. Blue: frost is likely; the gradient fades as the chance drops from 90% to 10%; green: the frost-free part of a typical year.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 5September 29
50% (typical)April 23October 16
90% (likely)April 8October 27
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
175 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 13
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 25

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 23 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 17 (1 day later). Frost-free season 175 days.

A shorter, more recent NOAA period. The 30-year normals above remain the main reference: 15 years carry more year-to-year noise.

Add these dates to your calendar Yearly reminders for the typical last frost, the lower-risk planting date and the typical first fall frost (.ics).

How the chance of frost changes with the date

Spring near Ashland: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 5, 20% May 1, 30% April 29, 40% April 26, 50% April 23, 60% April 19, 70% April 16, 80% April 13, 90% April 8.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 5Apr 23Apr 8Fall near Ashland: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 29, 20% October 5, 30% October 10, 40% October 13, 50% October 16, 60% October 19, 70% October 21, 80% October 24, 90% October 27.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 29Oct 16Oct 27
Two charts, because spring and fall answer different questions: in spring, the chance that a frost still comes after a date; in fall, the chance that the first frost has already come before it. NOAA publishes these odds from 10% to 90%, so the lines stop there.

What these dates mean

May 5 is the cautious spring light-frost date for the Ashland area, offering only a 10 % chance of a frost later and letting a gardener set out tender crops with low risk. The median light-frost date, April 23, marks the point at which a frost is as likely as not, while the early spring gamble of April 8 carries a 90 % chance of frost later than that date.

In the fall, September 29 is the cautious light-frost date, providing just a 10 % chance that a frost has arrived earlier and signalling when tender crops should be finished. The median fall light-frost date is October 16, and the October 27 gamble reflects a 90 % chance of frost before that day. The hard-frost median dates are April 13 in spring and October 25 in fall.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, making it a more critical threshold.

How to read the probabilities

The dates are probabilities from 30 years of weather, not a forecast for this year.

  • Spring: "10% after May 5" means that in about one spring out of ten a frost still happens after that date. The 90% date is the earliest: a frost after it happens in most years.
  • Fall: "10% before September 29" means that in about one fall out of ten the first frost arrives before that date.
  • 50% is the typical date: half of the years are earlier, half are later.
  • A light frost (32°F) damages tender plants; a hard frost (28°F) also stops most hardy vegetables.

Nearby weather stations

Map of weather stations near Ashland, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Mead, NE — 9 mi; 2 — Lincoln, NE — 23 mi; 3 — Fremont, NE — 27 mi; 4 — Syracuse, NE — 28 mi; 5 — near Omaha, NE — 31 mi.NEIAMO25 mi · 40 km1. Mead, NE — 9 mi12. Lincoln, NE — 23 mi23. Fremont, NE — 27 mi34. Syracuse, NE — 28 mi45. near Omaha, NE — 31 mi5
  1. Mead, NE 9 mi (14 km)
  2. Lincoln, NE 23 mi (37 km)
  3. Fremont, NE 27 mi (44 km)
  4. Syracuse, NE 28 mi (45 km)
  5. near Omaha, NE 31 mi (50 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5b: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 41.0408, -96.3811.