Norfolk, NE 68701 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Norfolk, NE?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 04/30, roughly 245 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 157 frost-free days later.
Norfolk sits in USDA Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum). The dates above are NOAA's 1991-2020 normal at the nearest reporting station, a 30-year average, not a forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Norfolk before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 04/30 isn't a guarantee
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Norfolk compares
Norfolk's growing season runs about 157 days, ranking 33,219 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NE, it ranks 429 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Norfolk can differ from the 68701 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Norfolk's frost date answer different questions.