Alliance Commercial Historic District · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Precipitation in Alliance trails that of 91% of U.S. towns: 17 inches a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 88°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 75°. By January nights alone, it runs colder than 89% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about May 11, with the first autumn frost due around October 3.
A year in Alliance at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Alliance’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Alliance’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Alliance feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 144 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Alliance 1wnw, NE, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Alliance’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −19°. Plant labels use the zone; frost dates tell you when to plant.
Freezing nights by month
Average nights at or below 32°
90° days by month
Average days at 90° or more
About 45 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hemingford, NE, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; May is the wettest month and December the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 84 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Alliance
91% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through April.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Alliance 1wnw, NE.
Living with Alliance’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
144 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 11 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Oct 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Alliance from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (21%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 24%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Alliance and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Alliance yet.
Climates most like Alliance’s, farther away
TownRatings’ own comparison of NOAA 1991–2020 normals, not a NOAA product: places of 5,000+ at least 150 miles away, one per state, closest on January low, July high, precipitation and snow.
| Town | Jan. low | July high | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alliance, NE | 13° | 88° | 17" | 45" |
| Belle Fourche, SD | 13° | 88° | 19" | 42" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Laurel, MT | 15° | 88° | 14" | 48" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
Temperatures and precipitation come from NOAA’s 5 km grid; snow and day counts from the stations named on this page.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Alliance averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 76% of U.S. towns.
Change by month
The two periods overlap (1991–2000 is in both), which makes the gap a little smaller than it would be between separate periods.
How Alliance compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Alliance’s place among Nebraska’s.
Alliance weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Alliance’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hemingford, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 13° | 0.4" | 5.3" | 4 | 16 | 19° – 34° |
| February | 41° | 16° | 0.5" | 7.6" | 5 | 13 | 18° – 37° |
| March | 51° | 24° | 0.7" | 6.1" | 6 | 7 | 27° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 31° | 2.0" | 7.2" | 9 | 4 | 38° – 50° |
| May | 68° | 42° | 3.1" | 1.6" | 11 | 1 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 80° | 52° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| July | 88° | 58° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| August | 86° | 56° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 77° | 46° | 1.5" | 0.6" | 7 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 62° | 32° | 1.1" | 2.9" | 7 | 2 | 38° – 53° |
| November | 49° | 22° | 0.4" | 5.6" | 5 | 8 | 26° – 43° |
| December | 38° | 13° | 0.4" | 8.5" | 5 | 15 | 17° – 31° |
| Year | 61° | 34° | 17.4" | 45.4" | 84 | 65 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 37°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Alliance’s numbers come from
Normals are 30-year averages, not a forecast. How TownRatings reads climate data →
- Temperatures and precipitation: NOAA’s gridded 1991–2020 normals for the 5 km cell at Alliance’s center.
- Snow: Hemingford, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Alliance 1wnw, NE, 1.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; the nearest station that passes our checks for distance, height and agreement with the grid.
- Growing zone: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map, 2023. USDA Agricultural Research Service and PRISM Group, Oregon State University, prism.oregonstate.edu/phzm, accessed 8 Oct 2026.
- Then and now: NOAA’s gridded normals for 1901–2000 at the same cell.
- Storms and extremes: FEMA National Risk Index (expected annual losses to buildings).
Common questions about Alliance’s climate
What is the weather like in Alliance?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 45 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Alliance in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 181 nights a year reach 32° or below and 15 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Alliance get?
About 45 inches in a normal winter at Hemingford, NE, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 65 days a year.
How hot does it get in Alliance?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 58°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Alliance 1wnw, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Alliance?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 144 frost-free days, at Alliance 1wnw, NE.
What growing zone is Alliance in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −19°.
What is the best time of year to visit Alliance?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Alliance getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Alliance.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 and 1901–2000; USDA/PRISM 2023 hardiness zones; FEMA National Risk Index. Today’s forecast: National Weather Service.