Photo: Ryan Renner · CC BY-SA 4.0Nights turn raw in Fort Calhoun each January, colder than in 88% of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 86°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 72° apart. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 83% of U.S. towns. The heating season runs November to March: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Fort Calhoun at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Fort Calhoun’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Fort Calhoun’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Fort Calhoun feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 180 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 19 and the first by October 17. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ft Calhoun 4w, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Fort Calhoun’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 Bennington 3wsw, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 102 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Fort Calhoun
88% 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 Calhoun 4w, NE.
Living with Fort Calhoun’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
180 frost-free days in zone 5b. 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 17.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Fort Calhoun from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (35%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Fort Calhoun and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Fort Calhoun yet.
Climates most like Fort Calhoun’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Calhoun, NE | 14° | 86° | 33" | 34" |
| Knoxville, IA | 14° | 85° | 37" | 30" |
| Rock Island, IL | 14° | 85° | 37" | 36" |
| Milan, MI | 17° | 84° | 34" | 39" |
| Sylvania, OH | 19° | 85° | 34" | 37" |
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 Fort Calhoun averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 78% 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 Fort Calhoun compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Fort Calhoun’s place among Nebraska’s.
Fort Calhoun weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Fort Calhoun’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Bennington 3wsw, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 14° | 0.8" | 6.9" | 6 | 15 | 15° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 18° | 0.9" | 9.8" | 7 | 12 | 16° – 37° |
| March | 50° | 29° | 1.9" | 5.7" | 8 | 4 | 32° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.3" | 2.3" | 10 | 1 | 43° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 4.8" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.5" | 1.5" | 8 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 29° | 1.4" | 1.8" | 5 | 1 | 30° – 49° |
| December | 36° | 19° | 1.2" | 6.2" | 7 | 9 | 14° – 33° |
| Year | 61° | 40° | 32.6" | 34.4" | 102 | 42 |
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 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Fort Calhoun’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 Fort Calhoun’s center.
- Snow: Bennington 3wsw, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ft Calhoun 4w, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, 220 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 Fort Calhoun’s climate
What is the weather like in Fort Calhoun?
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 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 55% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Fort Calhoun in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 140 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Fort Calhoun get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Bennington 3wsw, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 42 days a year.
How hot does it get in Fort Calhoun?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 18 days a year reach 90° (Ft Calhoun 4w, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Fort Calhoun?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 19 and the first fall frost by October 17, about 180 frost-free days, at Ft Calhoun 4w, NE.
What growing zone is Fort Calhoun in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Fort Calhoun?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Fort Calhoun getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 78% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Fort Calhoun.
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.