Clay County Courthouse · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainClay Center is drier than 86% of U.S. towns: 28 inches of precipitation a year
Expect July afternoons of about 88°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 72° apart. In January, nights here are colder than in 83% of U.S. towns. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June, September and October, with highs of 66–84°.
A year in Clay Center at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Clay Center’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Clay Center’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Clay Center feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 181 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 20. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Clay Ctr, NE, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Clay Center’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 19 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Clay Ctr, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 70 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Clay Center
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 Clay Ctr, NE.
Living with Clay Center’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
181 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 19 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 20.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 1.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Clay Center from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (44%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Clay Center and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Clay Center in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Clay Center’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clay Center, NE | 15° | 88° | 28" | 19" |
| Clarinda, IA | 14° | 86° | 36" | 23" |
| St. Joseph, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Atchison, KS | 19° | 88° | 37" | 17" |
| Chillicothe, IL | 16° | 86° | 37" | 20" |
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 Clay Center averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.8°).
A smaller shift than in 68% 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 Clay Center compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Clay Center’s place among Nebraska’s.
Clay Center weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Clay Center’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Clay Ctr, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 15° | 0.6" | 4.5" | 3 | 10 | 18° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 19° | 0.8" | 5.9" | 4 | 8 | 20° – 39° |
| March | 53° | 28° | 1.4" | 1.5" | 5 | 2 | 32° – 54° |
| April | 63° | 38° | 2.5" | 1.4" | 7 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| June | 84° | 60° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 65° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 81° |
| August | 85° | 63° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 53° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 40° | 2.2" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 45° – 58° |
| November | 51° | 28° | 1.3" | 1.5" | 4 | 1 | 31° – 47° |
| December | 39° | 19° | 0.9" | 3.3" | 4 | 7 | 17° – 33° |
| Year | 63° | 40° | 28.2" | 18.5" | 70 | 28 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 54°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Clay Center’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 Clay Center’s center.
- Snow: Clay Ctr, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Clay Ctr, NE, 0.3 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Clay Center’s climate
What is the weather like in Clay Center?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 19 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 65% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Clay Center in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 145 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Clay Center get?
About 19 inches in a normal winter at Clay Ctr, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 28 days a year.
How hot does it get in Clay Center?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 65°. About 34 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Clay Ctr, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Clay Center?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 20, about 181 frost-free days, at Clay Ctr, NE.
What growing zone is Clay Center 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 Clay Center?
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 Clay Center getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 68% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Clay Center.
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.