Your nature year
Grand Island, Nebraskathrough the year
Also for Hastings, NE: the same nearby places.
When do frost, green-up and fall color come to Grand Island?
Expect about 175 frost-free days in Grand Island: the last spring frost usually comes around Apr 23, the first fall one around Oct 15, going by NOAA's Grand Is Cntrl NE Regional Airport station 3.6 miles away. The USA-NPN spring index puts first leaf here around Mar 30 and first bloom around Apr 30.
About 4 weeks pass between first leaf and first bloom here. Within 150 miles we follow 3 places, out to Boyer Chute Refuge 130 miles to the east. For a day trip, Kirwin Refuge is 98 miles off; its fall & winter wildlife is winter (local timing). Boyer Chute Refuge (130 mi) is the pick for spring migration, In early spring (typically early March) (local timing).
Updated Sep 27. Sources: US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) ↗ (opens in a new tab), US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) ↗ (opens in a new tab)
Near Grand Island right now
- First fall frost usually around Oct 15 · last spring frost around Apr 23NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Grand Is Cntrl NE Regional Airport (3.6 mi, 50% dates)~13 days
- Fall & winter wildlife · Kirwin Refuge · 98 miLocal timing: winter~2 months
Nearest places to Grand Island
- Kirwin RefugeWildlife refugeLocal timing: winter98 mi
Nearby, season by season
Spring migration
Spring waterfowl in NebraskaWildlife refuge
130 mi
Season: Early MarchU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ↗
Fall & winter wildlife
Grand Island's nature year
- Mar: Spring green-upMar
- Mar: Spring migration · Boyer Chute RefugeMar
- Apr: Last spring frostApr
- Oct: First fall frostNowOct
- Fall & winter wildlife · Kirwin RefugeDec–Feb
Grand Island's year at a glance
- Frost possible
- Frost-free, ~Apr 23 to ~Oct 15
- First leaf ~Mar 30
- First bloom ~Apr 30
- Today
Frost and green-up
Last spring frost
Apr 23
Average (50% date)
First fall frost
Oct 15
About 175 days without frost between
Spring green-up
Mar 30
First bloom around Apr 30
Frost: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals at Grand Is Cntrl NE Regional Airport (3.6 mi from Grand Island), the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not. Green-up: the USA-NPN Spring Index, 1991–2020 average at the town.
Snow in Grand Island
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 9 (our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%). NOAA's normals at Grand Is Cntrl NE Regional Airport (3.6 mi away): 28 inches of snow in an average year, about 8.5 days with 1 inch or more. The National Weather Service's average date of the first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more in a day) is Nov 11, over the 1992–93 through 2021–22 seasons.
NOAA's chance of at least 0.1 inch of snow on each date (one value per week, September to May), averaged over 1991–2020. A typical year, not a forecast.
Questions people ask
When is the first frost in Grand Island?
On average around Oct 15, and the last spring frost around Apr 23: about 175 days without frost between. These are NOAA's 1991–2020 normals at Grand Is Cntrl NE Regional Airport, 3.6 miles away (the day a 32 °F night is as likely as not).
When does spring green-up reach Grand Island?
The USA-NPN Spring Index puts first leaf around Mar 30 and first bloom around Apr 30, on average for 1991–2020 at the town.
Where can I see spring migration near Grand Island?
Boyer Chute Refuge, 130 miles (local timing: In early spring (typically early March)). Distances are straight-line.
Where can I see fall & winter wildlife near Grand Island?
Kirwin Refuge, 98 miles (local timing: winter); DeSoto Refuge, 128 miles (local timing: early December, and again in late February and early March). Distances are straight-line.
When does it start snowing in Grand Island?
Snow usually becomes possible around Dec 9: our calculation from NOAA's daily snow chances: the first day the chance of 0.1" or more of snow reaches 10%, at Grand Is Cntrl NE Regional Airport. An average year brings 28 inches (NOAA 1991–2020). A typical year, not a forecast. The National Weather Service's average date of the first measurable snow (0.1 inch or more in a day) is Nov 11, over the 1992–93 through 2021–22 seasons.Sources: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal snowfall) ↗ (opens in a new tab), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (daily snowfall probabilities) ↗ (opens in a new tab), National Weather Service Hastings, Average First Snowfall Dates ↗ (opens in a new tab)
How we know
US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer (places) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · US Census Bureau, city and town population estimates, 2024 (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal) (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · USA National Phenology Network, Spring Index 1991–2020 averages (opens in a new tab) (Sep 27) · National Weather Service Hastings, Average First Snowfall Dates (opens in a new tab) (Sep 28)