Ord, NE 68862 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Ord, NE?
Around 05/05 is the usual last spring frost, about 250 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/03, about 150 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Ord in Zone 5b (-15 to -10°F average annual minimum); frost dates are NOAA's 1991-2020 station normal, not this year's forecast.
What to do before the first frost
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Ord before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/05 isn't a guarantee
05/05 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/22 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/19 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Ord compares
About 150 days separate Ord's last and first frost, putting it 35,305 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 510 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Ord can differ from the 68862 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Ord's frost date answer different questions.