U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00014941 · Nebraska

Frost Dates near Norfolk, NE

NOAA weather station Norfolk Karl Stefan Airport (USW00014941), Nebraska · elevation 1551 ft (473 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

Norfolk is the nearest town to the station (3.1 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 14only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 3050% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 550% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season157 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Norfolk, NESpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 14 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 21 in 1 year out of 10, before October 5 in half of the years, before October 18 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 157 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 5Frost season near Norfolk, NESpring: a frost after April 16 in 9 years out of 10, after April 30 in half of the years, after May 14 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 21 in 1 year out of 10, before October 5 in half of the years, before October 18 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 157 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 30First frost ~Oct 5
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 30 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 14September 21
50% (typical)April 30October 5
90% (likely)April 16October 18
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
157 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 20
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 16

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 30 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 8 (3 days later). Frost-free season 161 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 Norfolk: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 14, 20% May 9, 30% May 6, 40% May 3, 50% April 30, 60% April 27, 70% April 24, 80% April 21, 90% April 16. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 12, 2022 April 26, 2023 May 3, 2024 April 24, 2025 May 3, 2026 May 10.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1May 14Apr 30Apr 162021: May 122022: April 262023: May 32024: April 242025: May 32026: May 10Fall near Norfolk: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 21, 20% September 26, 30% September 30, 40% October 2, 50% October 5, 60% October 7, 70% October 10, 80% October 14, 90% October 18. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 21, 2022 October 7, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 14, 2025 October 22.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 21Oct 5Oct 182021: October 212022: October 72023: October 72024: October 142025: October 22
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 12October 21
2022April 26October 7
2023May 3October 7
2024April 24October 14
2025May 3October 22
2026May 10season not over yet

What these dates mean

Setting out tender crops on the early spring date of April 16 in the Norfolk area carries a 90% chance of a frost and is a gamble. The cautious spring date for tender crops is May 14, when only a 10% chance of a frost remains.

The 50% light-frost date in spring is April 30, which carries a 50% chance of a frost later than this date. In fall, the 50% light-frost date is October 5, with a 50% chance of a frost earlier than this date. The median hard-frost dates are April 20 in spring and October 16 in fall.

The cautious fall date for finishing tender crops is September 21, when there is a 10% chance of a frost. A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plants that would survive a light frost at 32 °F, so those dates are especially important for gardeners.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 14" 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 21" 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 Norfolk, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Wayne, NE — 28 mi; 2 — Oakdale, NE — 28 mi; 3 — Elgin, NE — 33 mi; 4 — Wakefield, NE — 35 mi; 5 — Albion, NE — 36 mi.25 mi · 40 km1. Wayne, NE — 28 mi12. Oakdale, NE — 28 mi23. Elgin, NE — 33 mi34. Wakefield, NE — 35 mi45. Albion, NE — 36 mi5
  1. Wayne, NE 28 mi (45 km)
  2. Oakdale, NE 28 mi (45 km)
  3. Elgin, NE 33 mi (53 km)
  4. Wakefield, NE 35 mi (56 km)
  5. Albion, NE 36 mi (58 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: 41.9856, -97.4353.