Winter nights in Carroll are colder than in 92% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 85°. The wettest month is June; the driest is January. Precipitation is light here, less than falls on 86% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from November to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Carroll at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Carroll’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Carroll’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Carroll feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 163 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wayne, NE, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Carroll’s center in zone 5a: 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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Wayne, NE, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 76 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Carroll
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 Wayne, NE.
Living with Carroll’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
163 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Carroll from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (33%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Carroll and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Carroll yet.
Climates most like Carroll’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carroll, NE | 11° | 85° | 29" | 32" |
| Winterset, IA | 13° | 85° | 35" | 31" |
| Marshall, MN | 6° | 84° | 28" | 44" |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | 15° | 83° | 33" | 39" |
| North Fond du Lac, WI | 10° | 82° | 32" | 38" |
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 Carroll averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Carroll compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Carroll’s place among Nebraska’s.
Carroll weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Carroll’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wayne, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 11° | 0.6" | 6.8" | 4 | 19 | 14° – 34° |
| February | 35° | 15° | 0.8" | 6.7" | 4 | 14 | 12° – 34° |
| March | 48° | 25° | 1.5" | 5.8" | 6 | 7 | 28° – 51° |
| April | 60° | 36° | 3.1" | 2.7" | 8 | 1 | 39° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 47° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| June | 81° | 58° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 81° |
| August | 82° | 60° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 51° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 62° | 38° | 2.3" | 0.5" | 6 | 0 | 43° – 54° |
| November | 47° | 25° | 1.3" | 3.5" | 4 | 4 | 27° – 46° |
| December | 34° | 15° | 0.9" | 6.2" | 4 | 12 | 12° – 30° |
| Year | 59° | 37° | 28.6" | 32.2" | 76 | 57 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 28° to 51°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Carroll’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 Carroll’s center.
- Snow: Wayne, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wayne, NE, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Carroll’s climate
What is the weather like in Carroll?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 32 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; cooler July afternoons than 53% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Carroll in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Carroll get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Wayne, NE, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 57 days a year.
How hot does it get in Carroll?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (Wayne, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Carroll?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 163 frost-free days, at Wayne, NE.
What growing zone is Carroll in?
Zone 5a 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 Carroll?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Carroll getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Carroll.
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.