Wauneta, NE 69045 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Wauneta, 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.
Zone 5b (-15 to -10°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 Wauneta, not a forecast for this year.
What to do before the first frost
About 6 weeks of growing season left in Wauneta before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
Why 05/02 isn't a guarantee
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 Wauneta compares
About 160 days separate Wauneta's last and first frost, putting it 32,481 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 387 of 605.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Wauneta's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Wauneta can differ from the 69045 normal.