Newcastle, NE 68757 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Newcastle, NE?
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/03, about 248 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/03, about 153 frost-free days later.
Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 Newcastle, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Newcastle before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Newcastle's last frost
05/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/20 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/16 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Newcastle compares
Newcastle's growing season runs about 153 days, ranking 34,629 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NE, it ranks 493 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Newcastle can differ from the 68757 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5a and Newcastle's frost date answer different questions.