Photo: Hanyou23 · CC BY-SA 4.0Lincoln’s winters are colder than most of the U.S., with about 26 inches of snow in Lincoln Muni Airport
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Lincoln at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lincoln’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lincoln’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Lincoln feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 171 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 24 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from Lincoln Muni Airport, Lincoln’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lincoln’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 26 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lincoln Muni Airport, is heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month. 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 95 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lincoln
82% 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 Muni Airport.
Living with Lincoln’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
171 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 24 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October. 40 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Lincoln from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lincoln and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Lincoln in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Lincoln’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln, NE | 15° | 88° | 31" | 26" |
| Ottumwa, IA | 14° | 86° | 37" | 24" |
| East Peoria, IL | 17° | 86° | 38" | 26" |
| Trenton, MO | 17° | 88° | 39" | 17" |
| Napoleon, OH | 19° | 85° | 36" | 25" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Lincoln averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 67% 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. In a city of 302,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Lincoln compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lincoln’s place among Nebraska’s.
Lincoln weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lincoln’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lincoln Muni Airport. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 15° | 0.8" | 6.5" | 6 | 13 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 40° | 19° | 0.9" | 7.1" | 6 | 11 | 18° – 38° |
| March | 52° | 29° | 1.7" | 3.4" | 8 | 3 | 33° – 55° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 2.8" | 1.2" | 10 | 1 | 44° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 51° | 5.3" | 0.1" | 12 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 84° | 62° | 4.6" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| July | 88° | 66° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 86° | 64° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 79° | 54° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| October | 66° | 41° | 2.3" | 0.9" | 7 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 51° | 28° | 1.3" | 1.5" | 5 | 2 | 31° – 49° |
| December | 39° | 19° | 1.2" | 5.3" | 6 | 8 | 16° – 34° |
| Year | 63° | 40° | 31.2" | 26.0" | 95 | 38 |
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°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Lincoln’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 Lincoln’s center.
- Snow: Lincoln Muni Airport (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lincoln Muni Airport, 5 miles from the city’s center point, at about the same height; the city’s official station.
- 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 Lincoln’s climate
What is the weather like in Lincoln?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lincoln in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 143 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Lincoln get?
About 26 inches in a normal winter at Lincoln Muni Airport, heaviest from January through February, about 7 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 38 days a year.
How hot does it get in Lincoln?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 66°. About 42 days a year reach 90° and 4 reach 100° (Lincoln Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Lincoln?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 24 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 171 frost-free days, at Lincoln Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Lincoln 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 Lincoln?
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 Lincoln getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 67% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lincoln.
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.