U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00252020 · Nebraska

Frost Dates for Crete, NE

NOAA weather station Crete 4 ESE (USC00252020), Nebraska · elevation 1460 ft (445 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

  • Lower-risk planting dateafter May 6only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2350% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1250% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season170 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season at Crete, NESpring: a frost after April 9 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 28 in 1 year out of 10, before October 12 in half of the years, before October 25 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 170 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 12Frost season at Crete, NESpring: a frost after April 9 in 9 years out of 10, after April 23 in half of the years, after May 6 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before September 28 in 1 year out of 10, before October 12 in half of the years, before October 25 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 170 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 23First frost ~Oct 12
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 28 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 6September 28
50% (typical)April 23October 12
90% (likely)April 9October 25
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
170 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 13
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 22

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost April 25 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 16 (4 days later). Frost-free season 173 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 Crete: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 6, 20% May 3, 30% April 30, 40% April 27, 50% April 23, 60% April 20, 70% April 17, 80% April 14, 90% April 9. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 23, 2022 April 26, 2023 April 23, 2024 April 22, 2025 April 9, 2026 April 18.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 6Apr 23Apr 92021: April 232022: April 262023: April 232024: April 222025: April 92026: April 18Fall at Crete: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% September 28, 20% October 2, 30% October 6, 40% October 9, 50% October 12, 60% October 15, 70% October 18, 80% October 21, 90% October 25. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 31, 2022 October 8, 2023 October 27, 2024 October 14, 2025 October 30.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Sep 28Oct 12Oct 252021: October 312022: October 82023: October 272024: October 142025: October 30
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 23October 31
2022April 26October 8
2023April 23October 27
2024April 22October 14
2025April 9October 30
2026April 18season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 170 days between April 23 and October 12 mark the span in which a light frost has an even (50 %) chance of occurring later in spring or earlier in fall, providing the core window for most garden work.

For a cautious spring plan, gardeners look to May 6, the date with only a 10 % chance that a light frost will follow, while the April 9 date carries a 90 % chance and is a gamble. In the fall, the conservative choice is September 28, when there is only a 10 % chance that a light frost has already arrived; October 25 has a 90 % chance of an earlier frost and is riskier.

A hard frost at 28 °F can damage plant tissue that survives a 32 °F light frost, making it a 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 6" 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 28" 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 Crete, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Lincoln, NE — 18 mi; 2 — Seward, NE — 23 mi; 3 — Syracuse, NE — 36 mi; 4 — Geneva, NE — 38 mi; 5 — near Ashland, NE — 39 mi.NE25 mi · 40 km1. Lincoln, NE — 18 mi12. Seward, NE — 23 mi23. Syracuse, NE — 36 mi34. Geneva, NE — 38 mi45. near Ashland, NE — 39 mi5
  1. Lincoln, NE 18 mi (29 km)
  2. Seward, NE 23 mi (37 km)
  3. Syracuse, NE 36 mi (58 km)
  4. Geneva, NE 38 mi (62 km)
  5. near Ashland, NE 39 mi (63 km)

Sources

* Hardiness zone 6a: zone derived from PRISM 2023 grid at the station location (not the official USDA map). Source data: PRISM Group, Oregon State University.

Station coordinates: 40.6092, -96.8719.