Polk, NE 68654 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Polk, NE, ZIP 68654
The last spring frost here typically falls around 04/28, about 243 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/10, about 165 frost-free days later.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 Polk, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5b around Polk has about 6 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
04/28 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/14 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/10 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Polk compares
About 165 days separate Polk's last and first frost, putting it 30,727 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 302 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Polk can differ from the 68654 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and Polk's frost date answer different questions.