U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00253365 · Nebraska

Frost Dates for Gothenburg, NE

NOAA weather station Gothenburg (USC00253365), Nebraska · elevation 2603 ft (793 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 13only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 950% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season162 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Gothenburg, NESpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 13 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 27 in 1 year out of 10, before October 9 in half of the years, before October 22 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 162 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 9Frost season at Gothenburg, NESpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 13 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 27 in 1 year out of 10, before October 9 in half of the years, before October 22 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 162 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 9
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 13September 27
50% (typical)April 30October 9
90% (likely)April 16October 22
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
162 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 29 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 12 (3 days later). Frost-free season 165 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 at Gothenburg: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 13, 20% May 8, 30% May 5, 40% May 2, 50% April 30, 60% April 28, 70% April 25, 80% April 21, 90% April 16. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 24, 2022 May 3, 2023 May 2, 2024 April 21, 2025 May 3, 2026 May 2.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1May 13Apr 30Apr 162021: April 242022: May 32023: May 22024: April 212025: May 32026: May 2Fall at Gothenburg: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 27, 20% October 1, 30% October 3, 40% October 6, 50% October 9, 60% October 12, 70% October 14, 80% October 18, 90% October 22. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 14, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 15, 2025 October 19.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 27Oct 9Oct 222021: October 142022: October 172023: October 72024: October 152025: October 19
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 24October 14
2022May 3October 17
2023May 2October 7
2024April 21October 15
2025May 3October 19
2026May 2season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 162 days between the 50% dates in Gothenburg give the median frost-free interval for this station. The 50% light-frost dates are April 30 in spring and October 9 in fall; they are simply the points at which a light frost is equally likely to occur later or earlier. The 50% hard-frost dates are April 19 in spring and October 19 in fall, marking the median moments when temperatures reach 28 °F.

For a cautious plan, tender crops should be set out after May 13, the spring light-frost date with only a 10 % chance of frost later, and harvested before September 27, the fall light-frost date with only a 10 % chance of frost earlier. A hard frost matters more than a light frost because 28 °F is cold enough to cause much greater damage to plant tissue than the milder 32 °F 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 13" 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 27" 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 Gothenburg, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — near Lexington, NE — 29 mi; 2 — North Platte (Airport), NE — 30 mi; 3 — near North Platte, NE — 32 mi; 4 — Broken Bow, NE — 41 mi; 5 — Stapleton, NE — 43 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. near Lexington, NE — 29 mi12. North Platte (Airport), NE — 30 mi23. near North Platte, NE — 32 mi34. Broken Bow, NE — 41 mi45. Stapleton, NE — 43 mi5
  1. near Lexington, NE 29 mi (47 km)
  2. North Platte (Airport), NE 30 mi (48 km)
  3. near North Platte, NE 32 mi (52 km)
  4. Broken Bow, NE 41 mi (66 km)
  5. Stapleton, NE 43 mi (69 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: 40.9394, -100.1514.