Valentine, NE 69220 Frost Dates
When can you plant in Valentine, NE?
Typically, the last spring freeze lands around 05/12, roughly 257 days out. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/29, about 140 frost-free days later.
The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Valentine in Zone 5a (-20 to -15°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 5 weeks of growing season left in Valentine before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.
The actual range around Valentine's last frost
05/12 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 04/30 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/25 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.
How Valentine compares
About 140 days separate Valentine's last and first frost, putting it 37,057 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within NE, it ranks 585 of 605.
Learn more
the frost range covers how to read the range around Valentine's dates instead of trusting one. local microclimates covers what one yard in Valentine can differ from the 69220 normal.