Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Less rain and snow falls on Cheney than on 84% of U.S. towns: 32 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 15° on average. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 83% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.0° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Comfortable outdoor weather, highs of 66–83°, belongs to May, June, September and October.
A year in Cheney at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cheney’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cheney’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Cheney feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 164 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 27 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lincoln 8 Ene, NE, 9 miles from the town’s center, 240 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cheney’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −7°. 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 29 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Roca, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 96 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cheney
85% 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 Lincoln 8 Ene, NE.
Living with Cheney’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
164 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 27 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 10.
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 Cheney from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (39%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cheney and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Cheney in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cheney’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheney, NE | 15° | 87° | 32" | 29" |
| Ottumwa, IA | 14° | 86° | 37" | 24" |
| East Peoria, IL | 17° | 86° | 38" | 26" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
| Westland, MI | 18° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Cheney averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 76% 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 Cheney compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cheney’s place among Nebraska’s.
Cheney weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cheney’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Roca, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 15° | 0.8" | 7.8" | 5 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 39° | 19° | 1.0" | 6.6" | 6 | 18° – 38° |
| March | 52° | 30° | 1.7" | 4.1" | 7 | 33° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 2.8" | 1.9" | 10 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 5.4" | 0.0" | 13 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 85° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 42° | 2.4" | 1.5" | 7 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 51° | 29° | 1.4" | 2.4" | 7 | 31° – 49° |
| December | 38° | 19° | 1.2" | 4.3" | 6 | 16° – 34° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 32.2" | 28.6" | 96 |
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 55°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Cheney’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 Cheney’s center.
- Snow: Roca, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lincoln 8 Ene, NE, 9 miles from the town’s center, 240 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 Cheney’s climate
What is the weather like in Cheney?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 29 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 63% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cheney in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 146 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 17°.
How much snow does Cheney get?
About 29 inches in a normal winter at Roca, NE, most of it in January.
How hot does it get in Cheney?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Lincoln 8 Ene, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Cheney?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 27 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 164 frost-free days, at Lincoln 8 Ene, NE.
What growing zone is Cheney in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −7°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cheney?
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 Cheney getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 76% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cheney.
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.