Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainBruning’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bruning at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bruning’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bruning’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Bruning feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 172 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 15. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Hebron, NE, 11 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bruning’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 23 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Bruning, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bruning
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 Hebron, NE.
Living with Bruning’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
172 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 15.
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 Bruning from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bruning and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bruning yet.
Climates most like Bruning’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruning, NE | 15° | 88° | 29" | 23" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| St. Joseph, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Yankton, SD | 10° | 86° | 28" | 38" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
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 Bruning averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 73% 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 Bruning compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bruning’s place among Nebraska’s.
Bruning weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bruning’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bruning, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 15° | 0.7" | 6.3" | 5 | 12 | 19° – 39° |
| February | 41° | 19° | 0.8" | 6.5" | 5 | 10 | 20° – 39° |
| March | 53° | 29° | 1.5" | 2.7" | 6 | 3 | 33° – 54° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 2.6" | 0.9" | 8 | 1 | 43° – 58° |
| May | 74° | 50° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 65° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| August | 86° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 79° | 54° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.8" | 6 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 52° | 29° | 1.3" | 1.6" | 4 | 2 | 32° – 49° |
| December | 39° | 19° | 1.0" | 3.9" | 4 | 8 | 17° – 34° |
| Year | 63° | 40° | 28.6" | 22.7" | 80 | 36 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 54°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Bruning’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 Bruning’s center.
- Snow: Bruning, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Hebron, NE, 11 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Bruning’s climate
What is the weather like in Bruning?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 23 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 67% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bruning in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 145 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Bruning get?
About 23 inches in a normal winter at Bruning, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 36 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bruning?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 65°. About 40 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Hebron, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Bruning?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 15, about 172 frost-free days, at Hebron, NE.
What growing zone is Bruning in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bruning?
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 Bruning getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 73% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bruning.
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.