Imperial, NE 69027 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Imperial, NE?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/02, roughly 247 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/11, about 160 frost-free days later.
Imperial 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 6 weeks of growing season left in Imperial before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Imperial's last frost
05/02 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/17 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/13 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Imperial compares
Imperial's growing season runs about 160 days, ranking 32,391 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NE, it ranks 377 of 605.
Learn more
zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Imperial's frost date answer different questions. the frost range covers how to read the range around Imperial's dates instead of trusting one.