KEARNEY — With temperature spikes into the 80s still occurring, it’s hard to believe that south central Nebraska is within two to three weeks of the average date of the first fall freeze.
According to the National Weather Service – Hastings, the first fall frost and freeze dates can vary tremendously from year to year.
“Within the past 30 years, ‘first freezes,’ 32 degrees have ranged anywhere from mid-September to early-November. Last fall featured fairly ‘normal’ dates for the first freeze and hard freeze,” per NWS Hastings.
Through Oct. 2, there is no threat of an early frost or freezing temperatures.
“Low temperatures on most upcoming nights will drop no lower than the 40s-50s, with unseasonably warm lows in the 60s even likely late this week into the weekend,” NWS Hastings stated.
“Following a fairly unusual fall 2021 that featured one of the latest hard freezes on record, the fall 2022 season was actually rather typical, with the vast majority of local sites recording their first occurrences of 36, 32 and 28 degrees within 10 days either side of their 30-year average date,” per NWS Hastings.
For much of the north and northeast coverage area, the first freeze of fall 2022 occurred on Oct. 8, but for most places this was not a true hard and killing freeze, NWS Hastings noted.
“However, just 9-10 days later, Oct. 17-18, nearly the entire remainder of the area registered the season’s first freeze, which was also a hard freeze, 28 degrees or colder, too for most spots,” per NWS Hastings.
NWS Hastings provided definitions regarding their watches and warnings.
Frost
Frost occurs when there is a solid deposition of water vapor from the air. Frost will form when solid surfaces are cooled below the dew point. An air temperature range of 33- 36 degrees, along with light winds, is usually needed to initiate frost formation.
At least minor damage is possible to plants. One must keep in mind that frost is not guaranteed if the air is very dry and if winds are roughly eight miles per hour.
The range of average dates for the FIRST fall frost across most of south-central Nebraska is between Sep. 24 – Oct. 9.
Freeze
Freeze occurs when the temperature drops to 32 degrees or lower. A freeze will damage many unprotected plants, especially if the temperature remains at-or-below freezing for several hours.
The range of average dates for the first fall freeze across most of south-central Nebraska is between Oct. 2 – 17.
Hard Freeze
Hard freeze, per our local NWS definition, occurs when the temperature reaches 28 degrees or lower.
This usually means that most seasonal vegetation will be destroyed. In addition, there is a likelihood of damage to unprotected outdoor plumbing, un-drained sprinkler and irrigation systems etc.
The range of average dates for the FIRST fall hard freeze across most of south-central Nebraska is between Oct. 10 – 27.
Early Frost of 1974
One of the earliest frost or freezes on record in parts of central and south-central Nebraska and north central Kansas occurred the first week of September 1974, as many locations dropped below the freezing mark on Sept. 3.
“An unseasonably cold air mass roared into the region behind a strong cold front. Eventually, surface high pressure set up over the region, creating an ideal situation for a record early freeze. In fact, note the handwritten comment “Record early damaging frosts, corn belt area” at the top of the weather map,” per NWS Hastings.
The Gothenburg site observer noted on their form, “Clear. Froze. Ice. Crop Damage.”
