# Omaha and Kansas City get their first freeze Thursday, Nov. 12, weeks late Published November 13, 2026, 6:16 AM ET · Updated November 13, 2026, 6:32 AM ET By Ryan Hall, Y'all Written by our automated news desk from National Weather Service data. Omaha dropped to 28°F and Kansas City to 32°F on Thursday, Nov. 12, the first freezes of the fall for both cities. Omaha's came 29 days later than normal and is the third latest in 155 falls on record, and Kansas City's came 18 days late. As of Thursday, only 13 of the 58 big cities we track had recorded a first freeze this season. **What's new:** Added our newsroom graphics, a comparison table and links. ## Key points - **Where:** Omaha, Nebraska (Eppley Airfield) and Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas City International Airport). - **When:** Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. - **What:** Omaha's low was 28°F. Kansas City's low was 32°F. - **How late:** Omaha's typical first freeze is Oct. 14, and Kansas City's is Oct. 25. - **What it means:** Both cities have now recorded a low of 32°F or colder. ![Newsroom graphic (graphic by the Ryan Hall, Y'all newsroom)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-13-news-newsroom-855896-1-1124.png) Omaha fell to 28°F on Thursday, Nov. 12, its first freeze of the fall and a hard freeze, and Kansas City dropped to 32°F the same day for its first. Omaha's freeze came 29 days later than normal and ranks as the third latest in 155 falls on record, while Kansas City's came 18 days late. Both cities went well past the date when a first freeze usually shows up. For gardeners and anyone who left tender plants outside, the wait is over. ## The short version ![Newsroom graphic (graphic by the Ryan Hall, Y'all newsroom)](https://public.yallsoft.app/rhy/blog/images/2026-11-13-news-newsroom-40154221-0-1124.png "Newsroom graphic. Issued 6:24 AM ET Friday. Ryan Hall, Y'all") - **Where:** Omaha, Nebraska (Eppley Airfield) and Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas City International Airport). - **When:** Thursday, Nov. 12, 2026. - **What:** Omaha's low was 28°F. Kansas City's low was 32°F. - **How late:** Omaha's typical first freeze is Oct. 14, and Kansas City's is Oct. 25. - **What it means:** Both cities have now recorded a low of 32°F or colder. ## Omaha's hard freeze came within a day of the latest on record Omaha's 28°F low counts as a hard freeze, which is 28°F or colder. It also arrived very late. The typical first freeze there is around Oct. 14, so this one ran 29 days behind. In 155 falls on record, only two have had a later first freeze. The latest on record is Nov. 13, 1915, one day after this year's date. Last year Omaha got its first freeze on Nov. 1, 2025. The earliest ever was Sep. 18, 1901. ## Kansas City just made it Kansas City reached exactly 32°F, the threshold where a low counts as a freeze. It counts as a freeze, but not a hard freeze. The typical first freeze at the airport is around Oct. 25, so this one was 18 days late. That ties for the 13th latest in 138 falls on record. The latest ever was Nov. 24, 1931, and the earliest was Sep. 22, 1995. Last year Kansas City also got its first freeze on Nov. 1. ## How we count a first freeze We count the first day since July 1 with a low of 32°F or colder at each city's official climate station. For Omaha that is Eppley Airfield, and for Kansas City it is Kansas City International Airport. A hard freeze is 28°F or colder. ## Most big cities are still waiting Omaha and Kansas City were not the only cities waiting this late. We track 58 big cities, and as of Thursday only 13 of them have had a first freeze this season. Many others are still waiting for their first low of 32°F or colder. We'll keep updating the numbers as more cities report in. These values are preliminary until NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information reviews them. The "normal" dates come from our own calculation of the median first freeze from 1991 to 2020, not an official NOAA normal. ## What to do - **Check your plants.** Omaha reached the hard-freeze threshold of 28°F, while Kansas City reached the freeze threshold of 32°F. Bring in whatever is still alive. - **Winterize outdoor water.** Disconnect and drain garden hoses and shut off outdoor spigots. - **Cover what you can't move.** If you're trying to save late fall flowers or greens, cover them in the evening and uncover them in the morning. - **Start watching for winter.** Check our [winter storm outlook](/winter) for what comes next, and sign up for free [Y'all Alerts](/alerts) if you want a heads-up. ## Bottom line Omaha got its first freeze of the fall 29 days later than normal, with a hard-freeze low of 28°F on Thursday, Nov. 12. Kansas City also reached 32°F, 18 days late. The freeze-free stretch is over for both cities, so winterize your outdoor water lines. ## The numbers ### First freeze of the fall, Nov 12 | City | Low | Vs. normal | | --- | --- | --- | | Omaha, NE | 28°F | 29 days later than normal; the 3rd latest in 155 falls on record | | Kansas City, MO | 32°F | 18 days later than normal; tied for the 13th latest in 138 falls on record | Source: NOAA ACIS, threaded station records (normal: our 1991-2020 median) Explained: [What a Freeze Warning means, and how it differs from a Frost Advisory](https://ryanhallyall.com/news/what-a-freeze-warning-frost-advisory-and-hard-freeze-mean) First freeze tracker, every big city: https://ryanhallyall.com/trackers/first-freeze More on: [First freeze 2026](https://ryanhallyall.com/news/topic/first-freeze-2026) Places in this story: Omaha, NE; Kansas City, MO ## Sources - [NOAA Regional Climate Centers ACIS, threaded station records (OMAthr, MCIthr), daily minimum temperature, through Nov 12, 2026](https://www.rcc-acis.org/), NOAA Regional Climate Centers (ACIS) - [NOAA NCEI climate records](https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information --- Canonical: https://ryanhallyall.com/news/omaha-and-kansas-city-get-their-first-freeze-thursday-nov-12-weeks-late From Ryan Hall, Y'all (https://ryanhallyall.com). Always follow official warnings from the National Weather Service.