Photo: Endicott65 · CC BY-SA 4.0Heartwell’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Heartwell at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Heartwell’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Heartwell’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Heartwell feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 168 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Minden, NE, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Heartwell’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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Minden, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 26 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 80 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Heartwell
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 Minden, NE.
Living with Heartwell’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
168 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Heartwell from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Heartwell and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Heartwell yet.
Climates most like Heartwell’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heartwell, NE | 15° | 87° | 26" | 25" |
| Council Bluffs, IA | 14° | 87° | 33" | 27" |
| Yankton, SD | 10° | 86° | 28" | 38" |
| Dakota Ridge, CO | 19° | 87° | 18" | 34" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
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 Heartwell averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Heartwell compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Heartwell’s place among Nebraska’s.
Heartwell weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Heartwell’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Minden, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36° | 15° | 0.5" | 5.6" | 4 | 12 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 18° | 0.7" | 7.2" | 5 | 11 | 19° – 39° |
| March | 53° | 27° | 1.4" | 3.3" | 6 | 4 | 32° – 52° |
| April | 63° | 37° | 2.7" | 1.5" | 8 | 1 | 42° – 56° |
| May | 72° | 48° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 54° – 65° |
| June | 83° | 59° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| July | 87° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| August | 85° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 52° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 39° | 2.0" | 0.6" | 6 | 1 | 44° – 57° |
| November | 51° | 26° | 1.1" | 2.4" | 4 | 3 | 29° – 47° |
| December | 39° | 18° | 0.8" | 4.2" | 4 | 10 | 18° – 33° |
| Year | 63° | 39° | 26.4" | 24.8" | 80 | 41 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Heartwell’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 Heartwell’s center.
- Snow: Minden, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Minden, NE, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height; 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 Heartwell’s climate
What is the weather like in Heartwell?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 64% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Heartwell in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 149 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 17°.
How much snow does Heartwell get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Minden, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 41 days a year.
How hot does it get in Heartwell?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 64°. About 38 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Minden, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Heartwell?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 168 frost-free days, at Minden, NE.
What growing zone is Heartwell 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 Heartwell?
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 Heartwell getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Heartwell.
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.