U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00253037 · Nebraska

Frost Dates near Franklin, NE

NOAA weather station Franklin #2 (USC00253037), Nebraska · elevation 1861 ft (567 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

Franklin is the nearest town to the station (0.4 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 12only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 850% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season161 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Franklin, NESpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 25 in 1 year out of 10, before October 8 in half of the years, before October 21 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 161 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 8Frost season near Franklin, NESpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 25 in 1 year out of 10, before October 8 in half of the years, before October 21 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 161 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 8
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 12September 25
50% (typical)April 30October 8
90% (likely)April 16October 21
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
161 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 19
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 19

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 30 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 11 (3 days later). Frost-free season 162 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 Franklin: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 12, 20% May 7, 30% May 4, 40% May 2, 50% April 30, 60% April 27, 70% April 24, 80% April 20, 90% April 16. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 May 23.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1May 12Apr 30Apr 162021: April 222022: May 23Fall near Franklin: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 25, 20% September 30, 30% October 3, 40% October 5, 50% October 8, 60% October 12, 70% October 14, 80% October 17, 90% October 21. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 16, 2022 October 14.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 25Oct 8Oct 212021: October 162022: October 14
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 16
2022May 23October 14
2023no datano data
2024no datano data
2025no datano data
2026no dataseason not over yet

What these dates mean

May 12 is the cautious spring date in the Franklin area; with only a 10% chance of a light frost later, it lets a gardener set out tender crops with minimal risk. The opposite cautious date in fall is September 25, when there is a 10% chance that a light frost has arrived earlier, marking a reference point to finish harvesting tender crops.

The median 32°F dates are April 30 for spring and October 8 for fall. On April 30 there is a 50% chance of a frost later than this date, and on October 8 there is a 50% chance of a frost earlier than this date. The 28°F median dates, April 19 and October 19, indicate when a hard frost becomes a 50-50 proposition; hard frost matters more than light frost because the lower temperature can freeze plant tissue, causing greater damage.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 12" 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 25" 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 Franklin, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Red Cloud, NE — 22 mi; 2 — Smith Center, KS — 24 mi; 3 — Minden, NE — 29 mi; 4 — Holdrege, NE — 34 mi; 5 — Kearney, NE — 44 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Red Cloud, NE — 22 mi12. Smith Center, KS — 24 mi23. Minden, NE — 29 mi34. Holdrege, NE — 34 mi45. Kearney, NE — 44 mi5
  1. Red Cloud, NE 22 mi (36 km)
  2. Smith Center, KS 24 mi (38 km)
  3. Minden, NE 29 mi (47 km)
  4. Holdrege, NE 34 mi (54 km)
  5. Kearney, NE 44 mi (70 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: 40.0953, -98.945.