Lodgepole Opera House · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Lodgepole is drier than 91% of U.S. towns: 18 inches of precipitation a year
Sunny July days climb to about 89°. The year swings widely: the coldest month’s nights and the warmest month’s afternoons are 75° apart. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 85% of U.S. towns. Homes need heating from October to April, the months averaging under 50°.
A year in Lodgepole at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Lodgepole’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Lodgepole’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Lodgepole feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 145 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Lodgepole, NE, 0.1 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Lodgepole’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 28 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Lodgepole, NE, falls mostly in March. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Lodgepole
89% 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 Lodgepole, NE.
Living with Lodgepole’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
145 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 9 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 3.
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 Lodgepole from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Lodgepole and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Lodgepole yet.
Climates most like Lodgepole’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lodgepole, NE | 15° | 89° | 18" | 28" |
| Fountain, CO | 18° | 89° | 16" | 33" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Sheridan, WY | 11° | 89° | 15" | 33" |
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 Lodgepole averaged 1.4° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A bigger shift than in 52% 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 Lodgepole compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Lodgepole’s place among Nebraska’s.
Lodgepole weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Lodgepole’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Lodgepole, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 15° | 0.3" | 4.4" | 3 | 20° – 37° |
| February | 44° | 17° | 0.5" | 4.2" | 3 | 20° – 38° |
| March | 54° | 26° | 0.9" | 5.9" | 5 | 30° – 48° |
| April | 61° | 33° | 1.9" | 2.6" | 6 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 71° | 43° | 3.0" | 0.3" | 9 | 50° – 62° |
| June | 83° | 53° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 63° – 74° |
| July | 89° | 60° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 79° |
| August | 87° | 57° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 79° | 48° | 1.5" | 0.1" | 5 | 57° – 68° |
| October | 64° | 34° | 1.3" | 0.7" | 5 | 40° – 55° |
| November | 51° | 23° | 0.5" | 4.4" | 3 | 28° – 44° |
| December | 41° | 15° | 0.4" | 5.3" | 2 | 19° – 33° |
| Year | 64° | 35° | 18.0" | 27.9" | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Lodgepole’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 Lodgepole’s center.
- Snow: Lodgepole, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Lodgepole, NE, 0.1 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 Lodgepole’s climate
What is the weather like in Lodgepole?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 28 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 85% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 74% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Lodgepole in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 170 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 20°.
How much snow does Lodgepole get?
About 28 inches in a normal winter at Lodgepole, NE, most of it in March.
How hot does it get in Lodgepole?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 60°. About 52 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Lodgepole, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Lodgepole?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 145 frost-free days, at Lodgepole, NE.
What growing zone is Lodgepole in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Lodgepole?
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 Lodgepole getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.4° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 52% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Lodgepole.
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.