U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00014942 · Nebraska

Frost Dates near Omaha, NE

NOAA weather station Omaha Eppley Airfield (USW00014942), Nebraska · elevation 982 ft (299 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

Omaha is the nearest town to the station (4.3 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 April 30only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 1850% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 2150% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season185 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Omaha, NESpring: a frost after April 5 in 9 years out of 10, after April 18 in half of the years, after April 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 6 in 1 year out of 10, before October 21 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 185 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 18First frost ~Oct 21Frost season near Omaha, NESpring: a frost after April 5 in 9 years out of 10, after April 18 in half of the years, after April 30 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 6 in 1 year out of 10, before October 21 in half of the years, before November 1 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 185 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 18First frost ~Oct 21
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)April 30October 6
50% (typical)April 18October 21
90% (likely)April 5November 1
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
185 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 8
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 30

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 18 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 22 (1 day later). Frost-free season 187 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 Omaha: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% April 30, 20% April 27, 30% April 23, 40% April 21, 50% April 18, 60% April 15, 70% April 12, 80% April 9, 90% April 5. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 22, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 23, 2024 April 21, 2025 April 8, 2026 May 2.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1Apr 30Apr 18Apr 52021: April 222022: April 262023: April 232024: April 212025: April 82026: May 2Fall near Omaha: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 6, 20% October 12, 30% October 15, 40% October 19, 50% October 21, 60% October 23, 70% October 26, 80% October 29, 90% November 1. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 November 1, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 27, 2024 October 16, 2025 November 1.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 6Oct 21Nov 12021: November 12022: October 82023: October 272024: October 162025: November 1
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 22November 1
2022April 26October 8
2023April 23October 27
2024April 21October 16
2025April 8November 1
2026May 2season not over yet

What these dates mean

The cautious fall date for finishing the harvest in the Omaha area is October 6, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has arrived. In spring the cautious date for setting out tender crops is April 30, the 10 % chance threshold for a later frost.

For a gardener, the 50 % dates—April 18 in spring and October 21 in fall—represent the point at which a light frost is equally likely to occur before or after, so they mark the median of the historical record. A plan that follows the cautious dates uses April 30 to start tender crops and October 6 to finish harvesting them, keeping risk low.

A hard frost (28 °F) is more damaging than a light frost (32 °F) because it can kill plant tissue that would survive a milder freeze.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after April 30" 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 6" 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 Omaha, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Logan, IA — 23 mi; 2 — Oakland, IA — 27 mi; 3 — Fremont, NE — 31 mi; 4 — near Ashland, NE — 31 mi; 5 — Mead, NE — 32 mi.NE25 mi · 40 km1. Logan, IA — 23 mi12. Oakland, IA — 27 mi23. Fremont, NE — 31 mi34. near Ashland, NE — 31 mi45. Mead, NE — 32 mi5
  1. Logan, IA 23 mi (38 km)
  2. Oakland, IA 27 mi (43 km)
  3. Fremont, NE 31 mi (49 km)
  4. near Ashland, NE 31 mi (50 km)
  5. Mead, NE 32 mi (52 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: 41.3103, -95.8992.