Spencer, NE 68777 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Spencer, NE, ZIP 68777
Around 05/04 is the usual last spring frost, about 249 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/06, about 152 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 Spencer, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
Zone 5a around Spencer 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.
Why 05/04 isn't a guarantee
05/04 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/21 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/17 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Spencer compares
About 152 days separate Spencer's last and first frost, putting it 34,876 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 501 of 605.
Learn more
the frost range explains how to read the range around Spencer's dates instead of trusting one, and local microclimates explains what one yard in Spencer can differ from the 68777 normal.