Ayr is drier than 87% of U.S. towns: 27 inches of precipitation a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 88°. From frosty January to warm July, readings climb 73°. In January, nights here are colder than in 85% of U.S. towns. The frost-free window for a garden runs roughly April 22 to October 16.
A year in Ayr at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ayr’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ayr’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Ayr feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hastings Muni Airport, 12 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ayr’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Blue Hill 4 Sw, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 66 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ayr
84% of the work is heating. 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 Hastings Muni Airport.
Living with Ayr’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ayr from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (50%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ayr and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ayr yet.
Climates most like Ayr’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr, NE | 15° | 88° | 27" | 25" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| Yankton, SD | 10° | 86° | 28" | 38" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Colby, KS | 17° | 91° | 20" | 27" |
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 Ayr averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Ayr compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ayr’s place among Nebraska’s.
Ayr weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ayr’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Blue Hill 4 Sw, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 15° | 0.6" | 5.7" | 3 | 12 | 18° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 18° | 0.7" | 7.8" | 4 | 9 | 19° – 39° |
| March | 53° | 28° | 1.4" | 3.2" | 5 | 4 | 32° – 53° |
| April | 63° | 38° | 2.6" | 1.4" | 7 | 1 | 43° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| June | 84° | 60° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 64° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 62° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 53° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 40° | 2.1" | 1.2" | 5 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 51° | 27° | 1.2" | 1.6" | 4 | 2 | 30° – 46° |
| December | 39° | 18° | 0.8" | 4.4" | 3 | 8 | 18° – 33° |
| Year | 63° | 39° | 27.0" | 25.3" | 66 | 36 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 53°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ayr’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 Ayr’s center.
- Snow: Blue Hill 4 Sw, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hastings Muni Airport, 12 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher; 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 Ayr’s climate
What is the weather like in Ayr?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ayr in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 139 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Ayr get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Blue Hill 4 Sw, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 36 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ayr?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 64°. About 36 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Hastings Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Ayr?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 176 frost-free days, at Hastings Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Ayr in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ayr?
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 Ayr getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ayr.
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.