Hendee Hotel · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainCozad’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Cozad at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Cozad’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Cozad’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Cozad feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gothenburg, NE, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Cozad’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Eustis 2 Nw, 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 87 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Cozad
86% 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 Gothenburg, NE.
Living with Cozad’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 9.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.3 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Cozad from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Cozad and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Cozad yet.
Climates most like Cozad’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cozad, NE | 14° | 88° | 23" | 31" |
| Belle Fourche, SD | 13° | 88° | 19" | 42" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Stratmoor, CO | 18° | 88° | 16" | 33" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
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 Cozad averaged 0.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in all but 146 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 Cozad compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Cozad’s place among Nebraska’s.
Cozad weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Cozad’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Eustis 2 Nw, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 14° | 0.4" | 5.0" | 4 | 14 | 18° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 17° | 0.6" | 7.3" | 5 | 12 | 18° – 39° |
| March | 54° | 26° | 1.1" | 4.4" | 6 | 5 | 32° – 52° |
| April | 63° | 35° | 2.4" | 3.4" | 9 | 2 | 43° – 55° |
| May | 72° | 46° | 3.7" | 0.4" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 83° | 57° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| July | 88° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| August | 86° | 60° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 79° | 50° | 1.7" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| October | 66° | 37° | 1.8" | 1.5" | 7 | 1 | 43° – 57° |
| November | 52° | 24° | 0.8" | 3.1" | 4 | 3 | 27° – 44° |
| December | 40° | 16° | 0.5" | 5.5" | 4 | 11 | 19° – 33° |
| Year | 64° | 37° | 22.9" | 30.7" | 87 | 48 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 18° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Cozad’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 Cozad’s center.
- Snow: Eustis 2 Nw, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gothenburg, NE, 10 miles from the town’s center, 110 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 Cozad’s climate
What is the weather like in Cozad?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Cozad in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 155 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Cozad get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Eustis 2 Nw, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 48 days a year.
How hot does it get in Cozad?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 62°. About 34 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Gothenburg, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Cozad?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 162 frost-free days, at Gothenburg, NE.
What growing zone is Cozad in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Cozad?
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 Cozad getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than all but 146 U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Cozad.
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.