Frost dates in Omaha, 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 Omaha is April 16, and the average first fall frost is October 18, from NOAA's Omaha #1 station, 6 miles from the middle of Omaha. 1 year in 10 the last frost comes after May 6, and the first one by October 2. That leaves about 185 frost-free days. Omaha is in USDA planting zone 6a.
Weather stations around Omaha
The first row is the date most people in Omaha go by. The others show how far the dates move across the area.
| Station | Last spring frost | First fall frost | Frost-free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha #1 6 mi away, 1,280 ft | April 16 1 in 10 after May 6 | October 18 1 in 10 by October 2 | 185 days |
| Omaha Eppley Airfield 9 mi away, 982 ft | April 18 1 in 10 after April 30 | October 21 1 in 10 by October 6 | 186 days |
| Gretna 4NE 10 mi away, 1,240 ft | April 21 1 in 10 after May 4 | October 18 1 in 10 by October 4 | 180 days |
| Ft Calhoun 4W 13 mi away, 1,310 ft | April 19 1 in 10 after May 6 | October 17 1 in 10 by October 1 | 181 days |
| Springfield 7E 14 mi away, 1,065 ft | April 17 1 in 10 after May 1 | October 19 1 in 10 by October 4 | 185 days |
Distances are from the middle of Omaha 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 68114, at the middle of the city.
Your exact ZIP code
Omaha 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: Lincoln
Nearby: Des Moines, IA · Sioux Falls, SD · Kansas City, 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