Lincoln, NE 68521 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Lincoln, NE, ZIP 68521
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.
Zone 6a (-10 to -5°F average annual minimum) comes from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map; the frost dates above are the 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting NOAA station for Lincoln, not a forecast for this year.
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.
How much risk comes with planting early here
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 28,568 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 187 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Lincoln can differ from the 68521 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Lincoln's frost date answer different questions.