Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0Precipitation in Crawford trails that of 90% of U.S. towns: 19 inches a year
Nights in January average 14°. Seasons differ by 75°, from the coldest nights to the warmest afternoons. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 88% of U.S. towns. If you like long walks, May, June and September offer highs of 69–81°.
A year in Crawford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Crawford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Crawford’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Crawford feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 138 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 13 and the first by September 30. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ft Robinson, NE, 2.7 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Crawford’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 50 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chadron 3sw, NE, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Crawford
90% 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 Ft Robinson, NE.
Living with Crawford’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
138 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 13 in half of years, so many gardeners wait a week or two past that to set out tomatoes. The first fall frost comes by Sep 30.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 1.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Crawford from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Crawford and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Crawford yet.
Climates most like Crawford’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crawford, NE | 14° | 89° | 19" | 50" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Longmont, CO | 16° | 90° | 16" | 47" |
| Billings, MT | 15° | 89° | 14" | 48" |
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 Crawford averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.7°).
A bigger shift than in 56% 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 Crawford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Crawford’s place among Nebraska’s.
Crawford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Crawford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chadron 3sw, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 14° | 0.5" | 5.8" | 4 | 15 | 19° – 36° |
| February | 42° | 16° | 0.6" | 8.6" | 6 | 11 | 16° – 38° |
| March | 52° | 24° | 1.3" | 7.9" | 6 | 7 | 25° – 49° |
| April | 60° | 31° | 2.2" | 5.6" | 9 | 3 | 39° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 41° | 3.3" | 1.4" | 11 | 0 | 49° – 61° |
| June | 81° | 51° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| July | 89° | 58° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 79° |
| August | 88° | 56° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 75° |
| September | 78° | 46° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| October | 63° | 32° | 1.6" | 4.7" | 6 | 2 | 39° – 54° |
| November | 50° | 22° | 0.6" | 6.3" | 4 | 6 | 25° – 45° |
| December | 39° | 14° | 0.6" | 10.0" | 5 | 14 | 17° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 34° | 18.6" | 50.3" | 79 | 59 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 49°. August is the most reliable, staying within 8°.
Where Crawford’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 Crawford’s center.
- Snow: Chadron 3sw, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ft Robinson, NE, 2.7 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 Crawford’s climate
What is the weather like in Crawford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 72% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Crawford in winter?
December nights average 14°. About 178 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Crawford get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Chadron 3sw, NE, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 59 days a year.
How hot does it get in Crawford?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 58°. About 52 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Ft Robinson, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Crawford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 13 and the first fall frost by September 30, about 138 frost-free days, at Ft Robinson, NE.
What growing zone is Crawford in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Crawford?
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 Crawford getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 56% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Crawford.
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.