U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00250640 · Nebraska

Frost Dates for Beaver City, NE

NOAA weather station Beaver City (USC00250640), Nebraska · elevation 2148 ft (655 m) · hardiness zone 5b*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 20only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostMay 450% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 450% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season150 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone5bcalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Beaver City, NESpring: a frost after April 22 in 9 years out of 10, after May 4 in half of the years, after May 20 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 22 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: 150 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~May 4First frost ~Oct 4Frost season at Beaver City, NESpring: a frost after April 22 in 9 years out of 10, after May 4 in half of the years, after May 20 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 22 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: 150 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~May 4First 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.

Frost dates (32°F)

Probability of frost, based on 26 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 20September 22
50% (typical)May 4October 4
90% (likely)April 22October 15
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
150 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 26
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 12

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 3 (1 day earlier than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 6 (2 days later). Frost-free season 154 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 Beaver City: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 20, 20% May 14, 30% May 10, 40% May 7, 50% May 4, 60% May 2, 70% April 30, 80% April 27, 90% April 22. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 May 12, 2022 May 22, 2023 May 3, 2024 April 21, 2025 May 3, 2026 May 3.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%May 1Jun 1May 20May 4Apr 222021: May 122022: May 222023: May 32024: April 212025: May 32026: May 3Fall at Beaver City: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 22, 20% September 27, 30% September 30, 40% October 1, 50% October 4, 60% October 6, 70% October 9, 80% October 12, 90% October 15. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 14, 2022 October 7, 2023 October 6, 2024 October 14, 2025 October 19.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Sep 22Oct 4Oct 152021: October 142022: October 72023: October 62024: 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 12October 14
2022May 22October 7
2023May 3October 6
2024April 21October 14
2025May 3October 19
2026May 3season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 150 days between the 32°F 50% dates in Beaver City – May 4 and October 4 – frame the period when light frosts are equally likely to occur before or after, giving gardeners a rough window for tender crops.

The 50% date in spring (May 4) marks the point where a light frost is just as likely to arrive later as it is to have already passed, while the October 4 50% date in fall indicates an even chance of a light frost having arrived earlier. For a cautious plan, the spring 10% date of May 20 is used to set out tender crops, and the fall 10% date of September 22 is used to finish harvesting them. Hard frosts at 28 °F are more damaging than light frosts at 32 °F because they can freeze plant tissue that survives 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 May 20" 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 22" 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 Beaver City, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Cambridge, NE — 20 mi; 2 — Norton Dam, KS — 23 mi; 3 — Norton, KS — 27 mi; 4 — Holdrege, NE — 32 mi; 5 — near Lexington, NE — 40 mi.NE25 mi · 40 km1. Cambridge, NE — 20 mi12. Norton Dam, KS — 23 mi23. Norton, KS — 27 mi34. Holdrege, NE — 32 mi45. near Lexington, NE — 40 mi5
  1. Cambridge, NE 20 mi (32 km)
  2. Norton Dam, KS 23 mi (37 km)
  3. Norton, KS 27 mi (43 km)
  4. Holdrege, NE 32 mi (52 km)
  5. near Lexington, 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: 40.1306, -99.8278.