Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Precipitation in Martin trails that of 90% of U.S. towns: 19 inches a year
Sunny July days climb to about 89°. Its January nights bite harder than in 82% of U.S. towns. Warming shows here too: 1.3° more than in 1901–2000, led by March. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 22, with the first autumn frost due around October 18.
A year in Martin at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Martin’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Martin’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Martin feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 176 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 22 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Kingsley Dam, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Martin’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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Kingsley Dam, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 19 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 78 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Martin
88% 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 Kingsley Dam, NE.
Living with Martin’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
176 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 22 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 18.
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 Martin from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (31%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Martin and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Martin yet.
Climates most like Martin’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Martin, NE | 16° | 89° | 19" | 21" |
| Fountain, CO | 18° | 89° | 16" | 33" |
| White Rock, NM | 18° | 89° | 13" | 20" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
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 Martin averaged 1.3° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.4°).
A smaller shift than in 54% 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 Martin compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Martin’s place among Nebraska’s.
Martin weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Martin’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Kingsley Dam, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 16° | 0.3" | 4.0" | 3 | 7 | 20° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 18° | 0.5" | 5.2" | 5 | 7 | 20° – 39° |
| March | 53° | 27° | 0.9" | 3.2" | 6 | 3 | 32° – 49° |
| April | 61° | 34° | 2.1" | 2.3" | 8 | 1 | 41° – 53° |
| May | 71° | 45° | 3.2" | 0.2" | 11 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 83° | 55° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 74° |
| July | 89° | 61° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 59° | 2.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 78° |
| September | 79° | 50° | 1.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 36° | 1.4" | 0.9" | 6 | 0 | 41° – 56° |
| November | 51° | 25° | 0.5" | 2.1" | 4 | 2 | 29° – 46° |
| December | 41° | 17° | 0.3" | 3.5" | 3 | 4 | 20° – 35° |
| Year | 63° | 37° | 19.2" | 21.4" | 78 | 25 |
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 39°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Martin’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 Martin’s center.
- Snow: Kingsley Dam, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Kingsley Dam, NE, 4 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 Martin’s climate
What is the weather like in Martin?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 71% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Martin in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 146 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 20°.
How much snow does Martin get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Kingsley Dam, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 25 days a year.
How hot does it get in Martin?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 61°. About 41 days a year reach 90° and 5 reach 100° (Kingsley Dam, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Martin?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 22 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 176 frost-free days, at Kingsley Dam, NE.
What growing zone is Martin 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 Martin?
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 Martin getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.3° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 54% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Martin.
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.