Precipitation in Cliff Township trails that of 88% of U.S. towns: 24 inches a year
Midsummer highs settle at about 86°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 86% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.0° higher. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June, August and September, with highs of 70–84°.
A year in Cliff Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cliff Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cliff Township’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Cliff Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 143 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 Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE, 9 miles from the town’s center, 180 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cliff Township’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 34 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 77 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cliff Township
92% 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 Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE.
Living with Cliff Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
143 frost-free days in zone 5b. 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: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cliff Township 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 →Cliff Township and its neighbors
Hayes Township has the coldest January nights next door (13°, 1° colder) and Triumph Township the hottest July afternoons (87°, 1° warmer). Differences under a degree are within what the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Cliff Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cliff Township, NE | 14° | 86° | 24" | 34" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Raton, NM | 15° | 85° | 16" | 25" |
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 Cliff Township averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 77% 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 Cliff Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cliff Township’s place among Nebraska’s.
Cliff Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cliff Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 14° | 0.5" | 6.4" | 4 | 13 | 17° – 39° |
| February | 40° | 17° | 0.7" | 7.1" | 4 | 11 | 17° – 37° |
| March | 51° | 26° | 1.3" | 5.3" | 6 | 5 | 30° – 50° |
| April | 60° | 34° | 2.5" | 3.7" | 8 | 2 | 40° – 53° |
| May | 70° | 44° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 51° – 62° |
| June | 80° | 55° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 60° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 59° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 50° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 37° | 2.0" | 2.4" | 6 | 1 | 42° – 55° |
| November | 49° | 25° | 0.8" | 3.6" | 4 | 5 | 27° – 44° |
| December | 39° | 16° | 0.6" | 5.3" | 3 | 10 | 19° – 33° |
| Year | 61° | 36° | 24.3" | 34.0" | 77 | 47 |
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 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Cliff Township’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 Cliff Township’s center.
- Snow: Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE, 9 miles from the town’s center, 180 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 Cliff Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Cliff Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 54% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cliff Township in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 175 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Cliff Township get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 47 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cliff Township?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 60°. About 28 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Cliff Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 143 frost-free days, at Anselmo 2 Wsw, NE.
What growing zone is Cliff Township in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cliff Township?
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 Cliff Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 77% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cliff Township.
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.