U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00094957 · Nebraska

Frost Dates near Falls City, NE

NOAA weather station Falls City Brenner Field (USW00094957), Nebraska · elevation 980 ft (299 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

Falls City is the nearest town to the station (1.4 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 2only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1850% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1750% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season180 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Falls City, NESpring: a frost after April 4 in 9 years out of 10, after April 18 in half of the years, after May 2 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 17 in half of the years, before October 30 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 180 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 18First frost ~Oct 17Frost season near Falls City, NESpring: a frost after April 4 in 9 years out of 10, after April 18 in half of the years, after May 2 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 17 in half of the years, before October 30 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 180 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 18First frost ~Oct 17
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.Today

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 29 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 2October 1
50% (typical)April 18October 17
90% (likely)April 4October 30
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
180 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 8
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 26

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 17 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 17. Frost-free season 182 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 Falls City: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 2, 20% April 28, 30% April 25, 40% April 21, 50% April 18, 60% April 16, 70% April 12, 80% April 8, 90% April 4. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 23, 2024 April 21, 2025 April 8, 2026 April 19.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 2Apr 18Apr 42021: April 222022: April 262023: April 232024: April 212025: April 82026: April 19Fall near Falls City: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 1, 20% October 7, 30% October 11, 40% October 14, 50% October 17, 60% October 20, 70% October 23, 80% October 26, 90% October 30. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 22, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 27, 2024 October 14, 2025 October 30.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 1Oct 17Oct 302021: October 222022: October 82023: October 272024: October 142025: October 30
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. ◆ marks the actual date in each recent year.

What actually happened in recent years

Observed dates of the last spring and first fall frost (32°F) at this station; ◆ marks them on the charts above
YearLast spring frostFirst fall frost
2021April 22October 22
2022April 26October 8
2023April 23October 27
2024April 21October 14
2025April 8October 30
2026April 19season not over yet

What these dates mean

In the Falls City area the cautious spring date is May 2, when there is only a 10% chance of a light frost later; this date lets a gardener plan to set out tender crops with minimal risk.

The 50% date is April 18 for spring and October 17 for fall, each representing an even chance of a light frost. In spring the 50% date marks the point at which there is a 50% chance of a frost later; in fall it marks the point at which there is a 50% chance of a frost earlier. A cautious autumn plan uses the October 1 date, which carries only a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier, allowing final harvests of tender crops. The 50% hard-frost dates are April 8 and October 26, marking the points at which a hard frost is as likely as not.

Hard frosts at 28 °F can damage or kill plants that survive a light frost at 32 °F, making the hard-frost dates 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 2" 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 October 1" 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 Falls City, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Auburn, NE — 22 mi; 2 — Oregon, MO — 25 mi; 3 — Horton, KS — 29 mi; 4 — Troy, KS — 32 mi; 5 — Tecumseh, NE — 37 mi.KSMOIA25 mi · 40 km1. Auburn, NE — 22 mi12. Oregon, MO — 25 mi23. Horton, KS — 29 mi34. Troy, KS — 32 mi45. Tecumseh, NE — 37 mi5
  1. Auburn, NE 22 mi (35 km)
  2. Oregon, MO 25 mi (40 km)
  3. Horton, KS 29 mi (46 km)
  4. Troy, KS 32 mi (51 km)
  5. Tecumseh, NE 37 mi (60 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 40.0803, -95.5919.