U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USW00024028 · Nebraska

Frost Dates near Scottsbluff, NE

NOAA weather station Scottsbluff Heilig Airport (USW00024028), Nebraska · elevation 3945 ft (1202 m) · hardiness zone 5a*

Scottsbluff is the nearest town to the station (3.8 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 18only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 550% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season149 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Scottsbluff, NESpring: a frost after April 25 in 9 years out of 10, after May 5 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 21 in 1 year out of 10, before October 4 in half of the years, before October 15 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 149 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 5First frost ~Oct 4Frost season near Scottsbluff, NESpring: a frost after April 25 in 9 years out of 10, after May 5 in half of the years, after May 18 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 21 in 1 year out of 10, before October 4 in half of the years, before October 15 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 149 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 5First frost ~Oct 4
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.Today

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 18September 21
50% (typical)May 5October 4
90% (likely)April 25October 15
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
149 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 28
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 13

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 5 (same as the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 4. Frost-free season 150 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 Scottsbluff: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 18, 20% May 13, 30% May 11, 40% May 8, 50% May 5, 60% May 3, 70% May 1, 80% April 29, 90% April 25. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 9, 2022 May 22, 2023 May 1, 2024 May 4, 2025 May 2, 2026 May 19.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 18May 5Apr 252021: May 92022: May 222023: May 12024: May 42025: May 22026: May 19Fall near Scottsbluff: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 21, 20% September 25, 30% September 28, 40% October 1, 50% October 4, 60% October 6, 70% October 8, 80% October 11, 90% October 15. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 13, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 1, 2025 October 18.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Sep 21Oct 4Oct 152021: October 132022: October 82023: October 72024: October 12025: October 18
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 9October 13
2022May 22October 8
2023May 1October 7
2024May 4October 1
2025May 2October 18
2026May 19season not over yet

What these dates mean

Planting tender crops on April 25 in the Scottsbluff area carries a 90 % chance of a light frost later, so it is a gamble. The cautious spring date for setting out tender crops is May 18, when the probability of a later frost drops to 10 %.

The 50 % date of May 5 marks the point at which a light frost is equally likely to occur before or after, providing a reference for risk but not a frost threshold. In fall, the cautious date to finish harvesting tender crops is September 21, with only a 10 % chance that a frost has already arrived. The fall 50 % date is October 4, and the hard-frost 50 % dates are April 28 in spring and October 13 in fall, indicating when a 28 °F frost is as likely as not.

A hard frost at 28 °F can injure plants that survive a 32 °F light frost.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 18" 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 Scottsbluff, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Harrisburg, NE — 25 mi; 2 — Bridgeport, NE — 29 mi; 3 — Torrington, WY — 51 mi; 4 — Old Fort Laramie, WY — 55 mi; 5 — Harrison, NE — 58 mi.NEWY25 mi · 40 km1. Harrisburg, NE — 25 mi12. Bridgeport, NE — 29 mi23. Torrington, WY — 51 mi34. Old Fort Laramie, WY — 55 mi45. Harrison, NE — 58 mi5
  1. Harrisburg, NE 25 mi (40 km)
  2. Bridgeport, NE 29 mi (46 km)
  3. Torrington, WY 51 mi (83 km)
  4. Old Fort Laramie, WY 55 mi (88 km)
  5. Harrison, NE 58 mi (94 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 5a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 41.8706, -103.5931.