U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00251450 · Nebraska

Frost Dates near Lexington, NE

NOAA weather station Canaday Steam Plant (USC00251450), Nebraska · elevation 2362 ft (720 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

Lexington is the nearest town to the station (6.3 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 7only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2650% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season169 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Lexington, NESpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 26 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 29 in 1 year out of 10, before October 13 in half of the years, before October 24 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 169 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 26First frost ~Oct 13Frost season near Lexington, NESpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 26 in half of the years, after May 7 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 29 in 1 year out of 10, before October 13 in half of the years, before October 24 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 169 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 26First frost ~Oct 13
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 25 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 7September 29
50% (typical)April 26October 13
90% (likely)April 13October 24
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
169 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 14
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 21

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 28 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 15 (2 days later). Frost-free season 169 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 Lexington: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 7, 20% May 3, 30% May 1, 40% April 29, 50% April 26, 60% April 23, 70% April 20, 80% April 17, 90% April 13. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 11, 2023 May 3, 2024 April 22, 2025 April 20, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 7Apr 26Apr 132021: May 112023: May 32024: April 222025: April 202026: May 3Fall near Lexington: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 29, 20% October 3, 30% October 6, 40% October 9, 50% October 13, 60% October 16, 70% October 18, 80% October 21, 90% October 24. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 14, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 14, 2025 October 19.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 29Oct 13Oct 242021: October 142023: October 72024: October 142025: 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
2021May 11October 14
2022incomplete recordno data
2023May 3October 7
2024April 22October 14
2025April 20October 19
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

May 7 is the cautious spring light-frost date for the Lexington area; with only a 10 % chance of a frost later, it gives gardeners a reasonable point to set out tender crops outdoors. By waiting until this date they reduce the likelihood of a damaging light freeze to a low level.

The spring 50 % date, April 26, marks the midpoint of the record so that about half of the years see a light frost later and half see it earlier. The fall 50 % date, October 13, similarly divides the season for frost occurring earlier. For a cautious fall plan the date to finish harvesting tender crops is September 29, which carries only a 10 % chance that a frost has already arrived. The hard-frost 50 % dates are April 14 in spring and October 21 in fall; a hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that survive a light frost, making it the 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 7" 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 Lexington, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Holdrege, NE — 24 mi; 2 — Gothenburg, NE — 29 mi; 3 — Kearney, NE — 36 mi; 4 — Cambridge, NE — 37 mi; 5 — Beaver City, NE — 40 mi.KS25 mi · 40 km1. Holdrege, NE — 24 mi12. Gothenburg, NE — 29 mi23. Kearney, NE — 36 mi34. Cambridge, NE — 37 mi45. Beaver City, NE — 40 mi5
  1. Holdrege, NE 24 mi (38 km)
  2. Gothenburg, NE 29 mi (47 km)
  3. Kearney, NE 36 mi (58 km)
  4. Cambridge, NE 37 mi (59 km)
  5. Beaver City, NE 40 mi (64 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: 40.6944, -99.7008.