Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Winter nights in Denton are colder than in 85% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 88°. Temperatures cover 73° across the year, low to high. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 85% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 22, with the first autumn frost due around October 14.
A year in Denton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Denton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Denton’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Denton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 174 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lincoln 11 Sw, NE, 3 miles from the town’s center, 110 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Denton’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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Malcolm, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 31 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 94 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Denton
85% 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 Lincoln 11 Sw, NE.
Living with Denton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
174 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 14.
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 Denton from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (27%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Denton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Denton yet.
Climates most like Denton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denton, NE | 15° | 88° | 31" | 27" |
| Adel, IA | 12° | 85° | 35" | 25" |
| East Peoria, IL | 17° | 86° | 38" | 26" |
| Yankton, SD | 10° | 86° | 28" | 38" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
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 Denton averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
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 Denton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Denton’s place among Nebraska’s.
Denton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Denton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Malcolm, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 15° | 0.7" | 7.7" | 5 | 14 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 40° | 19° | 0.9" | 6.6" | 6 | 12 | 18° – 38° |
| March | 52° | 29° | 1.6" | 3.9" | 7 | 4 | 33° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 2.7" | 1.0" | 10 | 1 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 5.3" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 86° | 63° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 54° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 66° | 41° | 2.3" | 0.7" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 51° | 29° | 1.3" | 1.1" | 5 | 1 | 31° – 49° |
| December | 39° | 19° | 1.2" | 5.8" | 6 | 10 | 16° – 34° |
| Year | 63° | 40° | 30.7" | 26.8" | 94 | 42 |
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°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Denton’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 Denton’s center.
- Snow: Malcolm, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lincoln 11 Sw, NE, 3 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 Denton’s climate
What is the weather like in Denton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Denton in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 134 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 17°.
How much snow does Denton get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Malcolm, NE, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 42 days a year.
How hot does it get in Denton?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 30 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Lincoln 11 Sw, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Denton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 174 frost-free days, at Lincoln 11 Sw, NE.
What growing zone is Denton 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 Denton?
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 Denton 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 Denton.
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.