Red Cloud, NE 68970 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Red Cloud, NE?
Around 05/01 is the usual last spring frost, about 246 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/05, about 157 frost-free days later.
Red Cloud 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
About 5 weeks of growing season left in Red Cloud before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
How much risk comes with planting early here
05/01 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/19 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/14 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Red Cloud compares
Red Cloud's growing season runs about 157 days, ranking 33,385 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NE, it ranks 435 of 605.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Red Cloud's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Red Cloud can differ from the 68970 normal.