Frost dates by ZIP code: The nearest NOAA stations to your ZIP, 1991-2020 normals
Enter a five-digit ZIP code. PlainClimate finds its center (Census Bureau 2024) and the five nearest NOAA stations with frost dates, and shows each station's last spring and first autumn 32°F dates with its distance and elevation.
Frost dates near ZIP 68502
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts ZIP 68502 in zone 6a (the coldest night of a typical year: -10 to -5°F).
The nearest station, Lincoln, NE, is 5 miles from the ZIP's center: its last spring frost comes after April 24 in half of years and after May 7 in one year in ten. By the USDA's method its plant hardiness zone is 5b.
| Station | Distance | Elevation | Last frost (median) | 1 in 10 after | First frost (median) | Hardiness zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NELincoln Airport | 5 mi | 1,190 ft | April 24 | May 7 | October 13 | 5b |
| Lincoln (8 mi ENE), NE | 8 mi | 1,189 ft | April 27 | May 8 | October 10 | – |
| Lincoln (11 mi SW), NE | 10 mi | 1,372 ft | April 22 | May 4 | October 14 | 6a |
| Raymond, NE2 mi E | 12 mi | 1,283 ft | April 22 | May 3 | October 16 | – |
| Crete, NE4 mi ESE | 15 mi | 1,460 ft | April 23 | May 6 | October 12 | 5b |
Frost comes later in spring at higher and colder stations and earlier in low, open ground: prefer a station at a similar elevation to yours. Hardiness zone in the table: the USDA's rule (the average of each year's coldest night, 1991-2020) applied to the station's own record.
Every frost threshold at Lincoln
NOAA publishes the dates for several temperatures and odds. A 30% spring date means a 3-in-10 chance of a later frost (the convention almanacs use); 50% is the median; 10% the cautious date.
| Threshold | Spring, 10% | Spring, 30% | Spring, 50% | Spring, 90% | Autumn, 50% | Autumn, 10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36°F (light frost) | May 16 | May 8 | May 2 | April 20 | October 4 | September 21 |
| 32°F | May 7 | April 30 | April 24 | April 10 | October 13 | September 29 |
| 28°F (hard freeze) | April 29 | April 21 | April 15 | April 2 | October 22 | October 8 |
| 24°F | April 20 | April 11 | April 5 | March 19 | October 31 | October 17 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals; ZIP centers: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. Autumn 10%: one year in ten has its first frost before this date.