FrostDateCheck

Nenana, AK 99760 Frost Dates

When can you plant in Nenana, AK?

Zone 2a

The last spring frost here typically falls around 05/15, about 260 days from today. The first fall frost typically arrives around 09/11, about 117 frost-free days later.

Zone 2a (-50 to -45°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 Nenana, not a forecast for this year.

What to do before the first frost

About 2 weeks of growing season left in Nenana before the first fall frost — a cold frame or row cover can stretch harvest weeks past that date.

Why 05/15 isn't a guarantee

05/15 is the middle of 30 years of NOAA records, not a promise. Plant by 05/03 and you're betting against frost in roughly 9 years out of 10. 05/29 is the safer bet, historically only a 1-in-10 chance of frost that late.

How Nenana compares

About 117 days separate Nenana's last and first frost, putting it 39,256 of 40,283 ZIP codes nationally. Within AK, it ranks 139 of 269.

Learn more

local microclimates covers what one yard in Nenana can differ from the 99760 normal. zone vs. frost date covers why Zone 2a and Nenana's frost date answer different questions.