Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainBushnell’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Bushnell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Bushnell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Bushnell’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Bushnell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 142 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Pine Bluffs 1ese, WY, 9 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Bushnell’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 41 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Pine Bluffs 5w, WY, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 16 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Bushnell
93% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Pine Bluffs 1ese, WY.
Living with Bushnell’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
142 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 10 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Bushnell from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (26%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Bushnell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Bushnell yet.
Climates most like Bushnell’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bushnell, NE | 14° | 87° | 16" | 41" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Belle Fourche, SD | 13° | 88° | 19" | 42" |
| Spring Creek, NV | 15° | 89° | 14" | 41" |
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 Bushnell averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 60% 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 Bushnell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Bushnell’s place among Nebraska’s.
Bushnell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Bushnell’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Pine Bluffs 5w, WY. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 14° | 0.3" | 4.6" | 3 | 9 | 21° – 35° |
| February | 43° | 16° | 0.5" | 5.4" | 4 | 8 | 20° – 37° |
| March | 52° | 23° | 0.9" | 8.5" | 5 | 6 | 30° – 46° |
| April | 59° | 29° | 1.7" | 5.7" | 7 | 3 | 38° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 39° | 2.7" | 0.5" | 9 | 0 | 47° – 59° |
| June | 81° | 48° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| July | 87° | 55° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 75° |
| August | 86° | 52° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 73° |
| September | 77° | 44° | 1.4" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| October | 63° | 31° | 1.2" | 4.5" | 5 | 2 | 39° – 53° |
| November | 50° | 21° | 0.5" | 5.6" | 4 | 6 | 25° – 43° |
| December | 41° | 14° | 0.5" | 6.1" | 3 | 9 | 19° – 32° |
| Year | 62° | 32° | 16.1" | 41.4" | 72 | 43 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. November swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 43°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Bushnell’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 Bushnell’s center.
- Snow: Pine Bluffs 5w, WY.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Pine Bluffs 1ese, WY, 9 miles from the town’s center, 180 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 Bushnell’s climate
What is the weather like in Bushnell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 41 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Bushnell in winter?
December nights average 14°. About 176 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Bushnell get?
About 41 inches in a normal winter at Pine Bluffs 5w, WY, most of it in March, with snow on the ground about 43 days a year.
How hot does it get in Bushnell?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 55°. About 34 days a year reach 90° (Pine Bluffs 1ese, WY).
When is the first and last frost in Bushnell?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 142 frost-free days, at Pine Bluffs 1ese, WY.
What growing zone is Bushnell in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Bushnell?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), June and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Bushnell getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 60% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Bushnell.
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.