Loup Township’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 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Loup Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Loup Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Loup Township’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Loup Township 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 10 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Oconto, NE, 11 miles from the town’s center, 130 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Loup Township’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 26 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mason City, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Loup Township
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 Oconto, NE.
Living with Loup Township’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 10 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 1.
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 Loup Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (63%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 6%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Loup Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Loup Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Loup Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loup Township, NE | 13° | 87° | 24" | 26" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| Stratmoor, CO | 18° | 88° | 16" | 33" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
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 Loup Township averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Loup Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Loup Township’s place among Nebraska’s.
Loup Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Loup Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mason City, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 13° | 0.4" | 6.8" | 3 | 13 | 16° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 16° | 0.6" | 6.1" | 4 | 11 | 18° – 37° |
| March | 52° | 26° | 1.3" | 3.7" | 6 | 4 | 31° – 51° |
| April | 62° | 35° | 2.6" | 1.2" | 8 | 1 | 41° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 45° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 82° | 57° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 75° |
| July | 87° | 61° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| August | 85° | 60° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 50° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 36° | 1.9" | 1.7" | 5 | 0 | 42° – 55° |
| November | 50° | 24° | 0.9" | 1.6" | 4 | 3 | 26° – 45° |
| December | 39° | 16° | 0.5" | 4.8" | 3 | 10 | 19° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 37° | 24.2" | 25.9" | 72 | 41 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 16° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Loup Township’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 Loup Township’s center.
- Snow: Mason City, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Oconto, NE, 11 miles from the town’s center, 130 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 Loup Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Loup Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 62% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Loup Township in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 165 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 16°.
How much snow does Loup Township get?
About 26 inches in a normal winter at Mason City, NE, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 41 days a year.
How hot does it get in Loup Township?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 61°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Oconto, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Loup Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 145 frost-free days, at Oconto, NE.
What growing zone is Loup Township 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 Loup Township?
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 Loup Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Loup Township.
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.