Fall weeds and frost
Ragweed to frost in Lincoln: NWU's mid-October finish and an October 13 median freeze
- Oct 13 Median first 32°F night, Lincoln Airport
- Oct 22 Median first 28°F night, Lincoln Airport
- 171 days Lincoln Airport's median growing season
Nebraska Wesleyan counts pollen until mid-October, and NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals put Lincoln Airport's median first 32°F night on October 13 and its first 28°F night on October 22. A 2001 State Museum note called late October the end of Nebraska's hay fever season. On October 2, 2026, NWU's weed count was 1.6, low, with ragweed contributing 0.3.
What does Lincoln's fall calendar look like?
| Marker | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NWU's weed count, 1.6 (low) | October 2, 2026 | Nebraska Wesleyan |
| Median first 32°F night | October 13 | NOAA normals, Lincoln Airport |
| NWU's season ends | Mid-October | Nebraska Wesleyan |
| Median first 28°F night | October 22 | NOAA normals, Lincoln Airport |
| End of hay fever season | Late October | Bolick, State Museum, 2001 |
In spring, the same NOAA normals put Lincoln Airport's median last 32°F night on April 24 and last 28°F night on April 15, for a median growing season of 171 days.
What was in the October 2, 2026 weed count?
NWU's weed total of 1.6 grains per cubic meter was made up of chenopods and pigweed at 0.7 and hemp, plantain and ragweed at 0.3 each. The total sits inside NWU's low weed band of 1 to 9, and NWU's count keeps going until mid-October.
How long until the weeds are done?
NWU's weed count is measured outdoors, and cleaning a mattress has no effect on it; we make no allergy claim for the visit. For households that would rather wait, Lincoln Airport's October 22 median hard freeze comes after NWU's last count, so a weekday in the last week of October works. Tell us about anyone pollen sensitive and we'll put it in the special care notes on the inspection form. Sleep Sanitation explains killing bed mites versus removing their allergens, the indoor half of the fall story.
What steps help a Lincoln bedroom?
- 1Watch NWU through mid-October Its count runs until mid-October; after that, Lincoln has no public daily number.
- 2Note the first hard freeze Lincoln Airport's median first 28°F night is October 22, a week and a half after the first 32°F night.
- 3Keep fall windows closed on high days Extension's G2069 advice for peak seasons applies to the weed weeks too.
- 4Book after the count winds down If someone in the house reacts to weeds, a late-October weekday falls after NWU's season.
What do Lincoln households ask?
Will an October frost stop ragweed in Lincoln?
Nobody can say for sure; NOAA publishes temperatures, not pollen. Its normals give Lincoln Airport a median first 32°F night of October 13 and a first 28°F night of October 22, and Bolick's 2001 State Museum note placed the end of Nebraska's hay fever season in late October.
When does NWU stop counting?
Nebraska Wesleyan's page, checked on October 3, 2026, describes a counting season from February through mid-October, five days a week.
Is late October a reasonable time to book a cleaning in Lincoln?
Lincoln Airport's average dew point falls from 54°F in September to 40°F in October in NOAA's normals, and NWU's count has ended by then. We work Monday to Friday; keep the windows closed afterwards if someone reacts to weeds.
Source notes
- Nebraska Wesleyan University: Pollen Count, checked October 3, 2026
- NOAA NCEI: U.S. Annual/Seasonal Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, Lincoln Airport (USW00014939), checked October 3, 2026
- NOAA NCEI: U.S. Hourly Climate Normals 1991 to 2020, Lincoln Airport (USW00014939), checked October 3, 2026
- Bolick, Margaret R. (2001). Something to Sneeze At: Nebraska's Airborne Pollen. Museum Notes 110, checked October 3, 2026
Changelog
- October 3, 2026: First published with NWU's October 2, 2026 weed breakdown and Lincoln Airport's freeze medians.
- October 3, 2026: Revised: removed an unsourced line comparing early-October ragweed with late summer.
Published October 3, 2026, updated October 4, 2026. Written by Lincoln Mattress Cleaning, operated by Sleep Sanitation. General information, not medical advice.
Prices and what a Lincoln visit includes
See the allergy season hub or call (402) 512-5658, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.