Lincoln, NE 68503 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Lincoln, NE, ZIP 68503
Around 04/24 is the usual last spring frost, about 239 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/13, about 171 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Lincoln in Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 6a around Lincoln has about 7 weeks left before the first fall frost — that's the usual window to get a cold frame up if you want to keep harvesting past it.
Why 04/24 isn't a guarantee
04/24 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Lincoln compares
About 171 days separate Lincoln's last and first frost, putting it 28,564 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 183 of 605.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Lincoln's frost date answer different questions, and the frost range explains how to read the range around Lincoln's dates instead of trusting one.