Photo: Jared Winkler · CC BY-SA 4.0Naponee is drier than 87% of U.S. towns: 25 inches of precipitation a year
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 90°. A year here swings 75° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its January nights bite harder than in 83% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 25, with the first autumn frost due around October 14.
A year in Naponee at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Naponee’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Naponee’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Naponee feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 170 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 25 and the first by October 14. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Harlan Co Lake, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Naponee’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −9°. 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 18 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Naponee, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 25 inches a year; July 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 Naponee
83% of the work is heating. 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 Harlan Co Lake, NE.
Living with Naponee’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 25 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 14.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Naponee from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (34%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Naponee and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Naponee yet.
Climates most like Naponee’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naponee, NE | 15° | 90° | 25" | 18" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| Dodge City, KS | 20° | 93° | 23" | 19" |
| Brush, CO | 14° | 91° | 14" | 23" |
| Hereford, TX | 23° | 92° | 19" | 14" |
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 Naponee averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.3°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Naponee compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Naponee’s place among Nebraska’s.
Naponee weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Naponee’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Naponee, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 15° | 0.5" | 3.6" | 3 | 9 | 19° – 39° |
| February | 43° | 19° | 0.7" | 6.0" | 3 | 8 | 21° – 40° |
| March | 55° | 28° | 1.3" | 2.4" | 4 | 3 | 33° – 52° |
| April | 65° | 37° | 2.5" | 0.7" | 6 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| May | 75° | 48° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 55° – 67° |
| June | 86° | 59° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 90° | 64° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 71° – 82° |
| August | 88° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 81° |
| September | 81° | 53° | 1.7" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 39° | 2.0" | 0.4" | 5 | 1 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 53° | 27° | 1.0" | 1.6" | 3 | 2 | 31° – 47° |
| December | 41° | 18° | 0.7" | 3.5" | 3 | 7 | 21° – 34° |
| Year | 65° | 39° | 25.2" | 18.2" | 64 | 29 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Naponee’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 Naponee’s center.
- Snow: Naponee, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Harlan Co Lake, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Naponee’s climate
What is the weather like in Naponee?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 15°, and about 18 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 83% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 79% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Naponee in winter?
January nights average 15°. About 152 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 19°.
How much snow does Naponee get?
About 18 inches in a normal winter at Naponee, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 29 days a year.
How hot does it get in Naponee?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 64°. About 45 days a year reach 90° and 6 reach 100° (Harlan Co Lake, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Naponee?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 14, about 170 frost-free days, at Harlan Co Lake, NE.
What growing zone is Naponee in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −9°.
What is the best time of year to visit Naponee?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Naponee getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.8° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Naponee.
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.