U.S. Frost Dates by Weather Station

NOAA station USC00258628 · Nebraska

Frost Dates near Trenton, NE

NOAA weather station Trenton Dam 1 N (USC00258628), Nebraska · elevation 2813 ft (857 m) · hardiness zone 6a*

Trenton is the nearest town to the station (3.0 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 12only 1 spring in 10 still has a frost later
  • Typical last frostApril 2950% chance of a frost after it
  • Typical first fall frostOctober 1350% chance of a frost before it
  • Frost-free season166 daystypical year, 32°F
  • Hardiness zone6acalculated*

The year at a glance

Frost season near Trenton, NESpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 29 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 13 in half of the years, before October 24 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 166 days.JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecLast frost ~Apr 29First frost ~Oct 13Frost season near Trenton, NESpring: a frost after April 13 in 9 years out of 10, after April 29 in half of the years, after May 12 in 1 year out of 10. Fall: the first frost comes before October 1 in 1 year out of 10, before October 13 in half of the years, before October 24 in 9 years out of 10. Typical frost-free season: 166 days.JFMAMJJASONDLast frost ~Apr 29First frost ~Oct 13
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 27 years of NOAA records (1991–2020 normals)
ChanceLast frost in spring afterFirst frost in fall before
10% (unlikely)May 12October 1
50% (typical)April 29October 13
90% (likely)April 13October 24
Frost-free season (32°F, 50% chance)
166 days
Hard frost (28°F), last in spring, 50% chance after
April 16
Hard frost (28°F), first in fall, 50% chance before
October 22

The last 15 years (2006–2020 normals)

Typical last frost May 1 (2 days later than the 30-year normal), typical first fall frost October 14 (1 day later). Frost-free season 164 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 Trenton: chance of a frost after this dateSpring, chance of a frost after the date: 10% May 12, 20% May 8, 30% May 5, 40% May 2, 50% April 29, 60% April 26, 70% April 23, 80% April 19, 90% April 13. Observed last spring frost in recent years: 2021 April 24, 2022 May 3, 2023 May 2, 2024 April 21, 2025 May 3, 2026 May 2.Spring: last frostChance of a frost after this date10%50%90%Apr 1May 1May 12Apr 29Apr 132021: April 242022: May 32023: May 22024: April 212025: May 32026: May 2Fall near Trenton: chance of a frost before this dateFall, chance of a frost before the date: 10% October 1, 20% October 5, 30% October 8, 40% October 10, 50% October 13, 60% October 15, 70% October 17, 80% October 20, 90% October 24. Observed first fall frost in recent years: 2021 October 14, 2022 October 17, 2023 October 7, 2024 October 14, 2025 October 19.Fall: first frostChance of a frost before this date10%50%90%Oct 1Nov 1Oct 1Oct 13Oct 242021: October 142022: October 172023: October 72024: 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
2021April 24October 14
2022May 3October 17
2023May 2October 7
2024April 21October 14
2025May 3October 19
2026May 2season not over yet

What these dates mean

The 166 days between the 32°F 50% dates of April 29 and October 13 frame the growing window for tender crops in the Trenton area.

April 29 is the spring 50% light-frost date, indicating an even chance of a light frost occurring later in the season; October 13 is the fall 50% light-frost date, indicating an even chance that a light frost has already occurred. For a low-risk schedule, gardeners should aim to set out tender crops after the cautious spring date of May 12, which carries only a 10 % chance of a later frost, and to finish harvesting tender crops before the cautious fall date of October 1, which carries only a 10 % chance of an earlier frost. The hard-frost 50% dates are April 16 in spring and October 22 in fall.

Hard frost at 28°F can cause more severe damage to tender plants than a light frost at 32°F.

How to read the probabilities

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

  • Spring: "10% after May 12" 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 1" 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 Trenton, NENumbered nearest stations: 1 — Culbertson, NE — 13 mi; 2 — Hayes Center, NE — 23 mi; 3 — Benkelman, NE — 27 mi; 4 — Atwood, KS — 27 mi; 5 — Wallace, NE — 46 mi.KSCO25 mi · 40 km1. Culbertson, NE — 13 mi12. Hayes Center, NE — 23 mi23. Benkelman, NE — 27 mi34. Atwood, KS — 27 mi45. Wallace, NE — 46 mi5
  1. Culbertson, NE 13 mi (21 km)
  2. Hayes Center, NE 23 mi (37 km)
  3. Benkelman, NE 27 mi (43 km)
  4. Atwood, KS 27 mi (44 km)
  5. Wallace, NE 46 mi (74 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: 40.1903, -101.0669.