Lee and Gottliebe Fritz House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Gordon’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Gordon at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Gordon’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Gordon’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Gordon feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 142 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 11 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gordon 6n, NE, 6 miles from the town’s center, 190 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Gordon’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 46 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gordon 6n, NE, is heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Gordon
93% of the work is heating, so the furnace matters far more than the air conditioner. Months averaging under 55° run from October through May.
Degree days add up how far each day’s average falls below (heating) or rises above (cooling) 65° over a year. NOAA normals at Gordon 6n, NE.
Living with Gordon’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
142 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 11 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 2.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.1 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Gordon from natural hazards, wildfire is the largest share (24%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Gordon and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Gordon yet.
Climates most like Gordon’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon, NE | 13° | 87° | 20" | 46" |
| Belle Fourche, SD | 13° | 88° | 19" | 42" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
| Gillette, WY | 13° | 86° | 16" | 56" |
| Doney Park, AZ | 17° | 86° | 16" | 52" |
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 Gordon averaged 2.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+4.7°).
A bigger shift than in 90% 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 Gordon compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Gordon’s place among Nebraska’s.
Gordon weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Gordon’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gordon 6n, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 13° | 0.4" | 6.5" | 4 | 18 | 18° – 36° |
| February | 39° | 16° | 0.6" | 7.3" | 5 | 14 | 14° – 37° |
| March | 50° | 24° | 1.1" | 8.1" | 6 | 10 | 25° – 48° |
| April | 58° | 32° | 2.2" | 7.0" | 9 | 5 | 38° – 51° |
| May | 68° | 42° | 3.2" | 1.7" | 10 | 1 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 79° | 52° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| July | 87° | 58° | 2.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 65° – 78° |
| August | 85° | 57° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| September | 76° | 47° | 1.5" | 0.1" | 5 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| October | 61° | 34° | 1.5" | 2.7" | 7 | 2 | 38° – 55° |
| November | 47° | 22° | 0.7" | 5.8" | 4 | 8 | 25° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 14° | 0.5" | 6.6" | 4 | 16 | 16° – 33° |
| Year | 60° | 34° | 19.6" | 45.8" | 78 | 72 |
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 48°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Gordon’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 Gordon’s center.
- Snow: Gordon 6n, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gordon 6n, NE, 6 miles from the town’s center, 190 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 Gordon’s climate
What is the weather like in Gordon?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 46 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 59% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Gordon in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 175 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Gordon get?
About 46 inches in a normal winter at Gordon 6n, NE, heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 72 days a year.
How hot does it get in Gordon?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 58°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Gordon 6n, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Gordon?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 11 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 142 frost-free days, at Gordon 6n, NE.
What growing zone is Gordon in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Gordon?
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 Gordon getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 2.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 90% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Gordon.
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.