Manley School · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Manley’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Manley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Manley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Manley’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Manley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 175 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 23 and the first by October 16. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Weeping Water, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Manley’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Weeping Water, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 85 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Manley
85% 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 Weeping Water, NE.
Living with Manley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
175 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 23 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 16.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Manley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Manley and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Manley yet.
Climates most like Manley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manley, NE | 15° | 86° | 33" | 33" |
| Knoxville, IA | 14° | 85° | 37" | 30" |
| Rock Island, IL | 14° | 85° | 37" | 36" |
| Sylvania, OH | 19° | 85° | 34" | 37" |
| Westland, MI | 18° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
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 Manley averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Manley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Manley’s place among Nebraska’s.
Manley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Manley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Weeping Water, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 15° | 0.9" | 10.0" | 5 | 13 | 16° – 37° |
| February | 38° | 19° | 1.0" | 7.8" | 6 | 11 | 17° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 1.8" | 3.6" | 7 | 3 | 33° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.1" | 1.5" | 9 | 0 | 42° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 5.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 84° | 64° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.5" | 1.1" | 6 | 0 | 47° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 29° | 1.4" | 1.4" | 5 | 1 | 30° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 19° | 1.3" | 7.4" | 5 | 7 | 15° – 34° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 33.0" | 32.8" | 85 | 36 |
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°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Manley’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 Manley’s center.
- Snow: Weeping Water, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Weeping Water, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, 160 ft lower; 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 Manley’s climate
What is the weather like in Manley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Manley in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 140 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Manley get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Weeping Water, NE, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 36 days a year.
How hot does it get in Manley?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 23 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Weeping Water, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Manley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 23 and the first fall frost by October 16, about 175 frost-free days, at Weeping Water, NE.
What growing zone is Manley in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Manley?
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 Manley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Manley.
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.