St. Johannes Danske Lutherske Kirke · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainMarquette is drier than 86% of U.S. towns: 28 inches of precipitation a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 15° on average. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 86% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with March up the most. The outdoor season runs from May to June and August to October, with highs of 65–84°.
A year in Marquette at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Marquette’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Marquette’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Marquette feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 165 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Central City, NE, 8 miles from the town’s center, 120 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Marquette’s center in zone 5b: 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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Aurora, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 86 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Marquette
87% 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 Central City, NE.
Living with Marquette’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
165 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Marquette from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (42%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Marquette and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Marquette yet.
Climates most like Marquette’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marquette, NE | 15° | 86° | 28" | 27" |
| Adel, IA | 12° | 85° | 35" | 25" |
| Westland, MI | 18° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
| Spring Valley, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 29" |
| Sylvania, OH | 19° | 85° | 34" | 37" |
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 Marquette averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 84% 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 Marquette compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Marquette’s place among Nebraska’s.
Marquette weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Marquette’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Aurora, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 15° | 0.6" | 7.2" | 4 | 15 | 18° – 38° |
| February | 39° | 18° | 0.7" | 5.8" | 5 | 9 | 18° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 28° | 1.5" | 4.1" | 6 | 4 | 31° – 54° |
| April | 62° | 38° | 2.7" | 2.2" | 9 | 1 | 43° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| June | 83° | 60° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 64° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 53° | 2.4" | 0.1" | 7 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 40° | 2.3" | 1.2" | 6 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 50° | 28° | 1.3" | 2.9" | 5 | 3 | 30° – 47° |
| December | 37° | 18° | 0.9" | 3.8" | 4 | 9 | 17° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 39° | 28.2" | 27.3" | 86 | 42 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 54°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Marquette’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 Marquette’s center.
- Snow: Aurora, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Central City, NE, 8 miles from the town’s center, 120 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 Marquette’s climate
What is the weather like in Marquette?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 27 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 Marquette in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 134 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 18°.
How much snow does Marquette get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Aurora, NE, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 42 days a year.
How hot does it get in Marquette?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 64°. About 33 days a year reach 90° (Central City, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Marquette?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 165 frost-free days, at Central City, NE.
What growing zone is Marquette in?
Zone 5b 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 Marquette?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Marquette getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 84% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Marquette.
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.