Orleans, NE 68966 Frost Dates
Frost dates for Orleans, NE, ZIP 68966
Around 04/25 is the usual last spring frost, about 240 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/14, about 170 frost-free days later.
Orleans sits in USDA Zone 6a (-10 to -5°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 6a around Orleans has about 7 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 04/25 isn't a guarantee
04/25 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/10 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/07 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Orleans compares
Orleans's growing season runs about 170 days, ranking 29,217 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NE, it ranks 217 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates explains what one yard in Orleans can differ from the 68966 normal, and zone vs. frost date explains why Zone 6a and Orleans's frost date answer different questions.