States Ballroom · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Nights turn raw in Bee each January, colder than in 86% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 86°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 86% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.0° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Central heating does most of its work from November to March, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Bee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bee’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Bee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 169 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Seward, NE, 8 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bee’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. 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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Malcolm, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bee
87% 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 Seward, NE.
Living with Bee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
169 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bee from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bee yet.
Climates most like Bee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bee, NE | 14° | 86° | 30" | 27" |
| Adel, IA | 12° | 85° | 35" | 25" |
| Spring Valley, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 29" |
| Westland, MI | 18° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
| Wauseon, OH | 18° | 84° | 35" | 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 Bee averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 75% 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 Bee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bee’s place among Nebraska’s.
Bee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bee’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Malcolm, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 14° | 0.7" | 7.7" | 5 | 14 | 18° – 38° |
| February | 38° | 18° | 0.8" | 6.6" | 6 | 12 | 17° – 37° |
| March | 51° | 28° | 1.6" | 3.9" | 7 | 4 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 38° | 2.7" | 1.0" | 10 | 1 | 42° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 41° | 2.3" | 0.7" | 7 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 50° | 28° | 1.3" | 1.1" | 5 | 1 | 30° – 49° |
| December | 37° | 18° | 1.1" | 5.8" | 6 | 10 | 16° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 40° | 29.9" | 26.8" | 94 | 42 |
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 54°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Bee’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 Bee’s center.
- Snow: Malcolm, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Seward, NE, 8 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower; 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 Bee’s climate
What is the weather like in Bee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bee in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 142 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Bee get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Malcolm, NE, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 42 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bee?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 35 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Seward, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Bee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 169 frost-free days, at Seward, NE.
What growing zone is Bee in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bee?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 75% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bee.
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.