Average Frost/Freeze Date Information For Nebraska and Kansas

Frost occurs when there is a solid deposition of water vapor from the air. Frost will form when solid surfaces are cooled below the dew point. An air temperature range of 33 to 36 degrees is needed for frost formation. Minor damage is possible to some plants.  

A Freeze occurs when the air temperature drops to 32 degrees. A freeze will result in significant damage to many unprotected plants, especially if the temperature remains at the freezing mark for a few hours.

A Hard Freeze occurs when the air temperature reaches 28 degrees. The growing season is considered to have all but ended when the temperatures drops to 28 degrees.  The range of dates for a hard freeze is from the 1st through the 3rd week of October (on average) for most of south central Nebraska and north central Kansas.

 

Fall Freeze Information for South Central Nebraska

(30-year average 1979-2008)
Location Average Date of 36 Degrees Average Date of 32 Degrees Average Date of 28 Degrees 2008 First Fall Freeze (32 degrees or lower) Earliest Freeze on Record Latest Freeze on Record
Cambridge  Sept. 25  Oct. 2  Oct. 13  Sep. 15 Sept 3, 1974
 Oct. 28, 1963
Genoa  Sept. 24  Oct. 2  Oct. 9  Oct. 16 Sept 3, 1974
Oct. 29, 1973
Gothenburg  Sept. 26  Sept. 30  Oct. 12  Oct. 16 Sept. 3, 1974
Oct. 28, 1963
Grand Island  Sept. 28  Oct. 8  Oct. 16  Oct. 16 Sept. 12, 1902
 Nov. 3, 1944
Greeley  Sept. 22  Sept. 27  Oct. 7  Oct. 2  Sept. 3, 1974
  Oct. 29, 1963
Hastings  Sept. 29  Oct. 9  Oct. 19  Oct. 16 Sept. 20, 1983 and 1991
 Nov. 5, 1947
Hebron  Sept. 30  Oct. 11

  Oct. 20

  Oct. 17 Sept. 11, 1940
Nov. 1 in 1927 and 1931
Holdrege  Oct. 3  Oct. 10  Oct. 21  Oct. 23 Sept. 11, 1902
Nov. 5, 1940
Kearney  Sept. 27  Oct. 5  Oct. 16  Oct. 16  Sept. 13, 1974
 Nov. 5, 1947

 

Fall Freeze Information for North Central Kansas

(30-year average 1979-2008)
Location Average Date of 36 Degrees Average Date of 32 Degrees Average Date of 28 Degrees 2008 First Fall Freeze (32 degrees or lower) Earliest Freeze on Record Latest Freeze on Record
Alton

 Sept. 26

 Oct. 4

 Oct. 15

 Oct. 16

Sept 3, 1974

 Oct. 28, 1963
Beloit

 Oct. 5

 Oct. 16

 Oct. 26

 Oct. 27

Sept 3, 1974

Oct. 29, 1973

Plainville

 Oct. 8

 Oct. 17

 Oct. 28

 Oct. 27

Sept. 3, 1974

Oct. 28, 1963

Smith Center

 Oct. 3

 Oct. 13

 Oct. 20

 Oct. 26

Sept. 12, 1902

 Nov. 3, 1944

 

 Annual First Fall Freeze Dates for Kansas (courtesy the Kansas State Climatologist)

              

 This page was composed by the staff at the National Weather Service in Hastings, Nebraska.

  

 



Return to News Archive
USA.gov is the U.S. government's official web portal to all federal, state and local government web resources and services.