Cozad, NE 69171 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Cozad, NE?
Around 04/30 is the usual last spring frost, about 245 days away. The first fall frost typically arrives around 10/09, about 162 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Cozad 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 6 weeks of growing season left in Cozad before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Cozad's last frost
04/30 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/16 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 Cozad compares
Cozad's growing season runs about 162 days, ranking 31,727 of 40,283 US ZIP codes measured here, longest to shortest. Within NE, it ranks 351 of 605.
Learn more
local microclimates covers what one yard in Cozad can differ from the 69171 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 5b and Cozad's frost date answer different questions.