O'Neill, NE 68763 Frost Dates
Frost dates for O'Neill, NE, ZIP 68763
The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/03, about 248 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 155 frost-free days later.
O'Neill 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
Zone 5b around O'Neill has about 5 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
05/03 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/18 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 O'Neill compares
About 155 days separate O'Neill's last and first frost, putting it 33,972 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 471 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in O'Neill can differ from the 68763 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 5b and O'Neill's frost date answer different questions.