First Custer County Courthouse · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainMidwinter lows in Callaway sink below those of 89% of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 87°. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 88% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.9° higher. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June and September, with highs of 71–82°.
A year in Callaway at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Callaway’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Callaway’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Callaway feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 156 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 3 and the first by October 6. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Callaway 8wsw, NE, 8 miles from the town’s center, 370 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Callaway’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Broken Bow 2 W, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Callaway
89% 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 Callaway 8wsw, NE.
Living with Callaway’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
156 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 3 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 6.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Callaway from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Callaway and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Callaway yet.
Climates most like Callaway’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callaway, NE | 13° | 87° | 23" | 30" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| 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 Callaway averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Callaway compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Callaway’s place among Nebraska’s.
Callaway weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Callaway’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Broken Bow 2 W, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 13° | 0.4" | 4.4" | 4 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 16° | 0.6" | 7.0" | 5 | 17° – 37° |
| March | 53° | 25° | 1.2" | 3.8" | 7 | 30° – 50° |
| April | 62° | 34° | 2.5" | 2.8" | 10 | 41° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 45° | 4.0" | 0.1" | 11 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 82° | 56° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 64° – 75° |
| July | 87° | 61° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 85° | 59° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 49° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 35° | 1.9" | 2.0" | 7 | 42° – 55° |
| November | 51° | 23° | 0.8" | 3.7" | 5 | 26° – 44° |
| December | 39° | 15° | 0.5" | 5.7" | 4 | 19° – 33° |
| Year | 63° | 36° | 23.3" | 29.5" | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Callaway’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 Callaway’s center.
- Snow: Broken Bow 2 W, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Callaway 8wsw, NE, 8 miles from the town’s center, 370 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 Callaway’s climate
What is the weather like in Callaway?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Callaway in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 156 nights a year reach 32° or below and 12 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Callaway get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Broken Bow 2 W, NE, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Callaway?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 61°. About 33 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Callaway 8wsw, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Callaway?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 3 and the first fall frost by October 6, about 156 frost-free days, at Callaway 8wsw, NE.
What growing zone is Callaway in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Callaway?
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 Callaway getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Callaway.
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.