Frost dates in Lincoln, Nebraska
NOAA 1991–2020 normals for a 32 °F freeze. Low spots and the edge of town run colder than downtown.
Short answer
The average last spring frost in Lincoln is April 24, and the average first fall frost is October 13, from NOAA's Lincoln Muni Airport station, 5 miles from the middle of Lincoln. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 7, and the first one by September 29. That leaves about 172 frost-free days. Lincoln is in USDA planting zone 6a.
Weather stations around Lincoln
The first row is the date most people in Lincoln go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Muni Airport 5 mi away, 1,190 ft | April 24 1 in 10 after May 7 | October 13 1 in 10 by September 29 | 172 days |
| Lincoln 8 ENE 6 mi away, 1,189 ft | April 27 1 in 10 after May 8 | October 10 1 in 10 by September 25 | 166 days |
| Raymond 2E 11 mi away, 1,283 ft | April 22 1 in 10 after May 3 | October 16 1 in 10 by September 29 | 177 days |
| Lincoln 11 SW 12 mi away, 1,372 ft | April 22 1 in 10 after May 4 | October 14 1 in 10 by September 29 | 175 days |
| Crete 4ESE 17 mi away, 1,460 ft | April 23 1 in 10 after May 6 | October 12 1 in 10 by September 28 | 172 days |
Distances are from the middle of Lincoln as the Census Bureau maps it. The average date is NOAA's 50% date: half of years have a later last frost, or an earlier first one. Plan by the 1-in-10 date if a freeze would cost you plants. The planting zone is the USDA 2023 zone for ZIP code 68503, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Lincoln covers a lot of ground. For the station nearest your own street, and its planting zone, type your ZIP code.
How these dates work
Frost dates come from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 Climate Normals, which work out from each weather station's daily lows how likely the last spring freeze and the first fall freeze (32 °F) are by each date. We use the station nearest the middle of your ZIP code and show its height and distance, since a station on a hill or by a lake can differ from your yard.
The average date is the 50% date: half of years have a freeze after the spring date or before the fall one. The 1-in-10 dates are NOAA's 10% dates, the ones to plan by if a late freeze would cost you plants. Within one yard, cold air pools in low spots while walls and paving hold heat, so some corners freeze before others.
More frost dates
All of Nebraska, station by station.
Other Nebraska cities: Omaha
Nearby: Kansas City, KS · Kansas City, MO · Olathe, KS
Where the numbers come from
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University (zone data)
- NOAA NCEI, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, annual/seasonal
- NOAA, Normals calculation methodology (frost-freeze probability dates)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 ZCTA gazetteer (ZIP code centers)
- US Census Bureau, 2025 city population estimates and place gazetteer