Niobrara Township has colder winter nights than 91% of U.S. towns
On a normal July day the thermometer tops out near 87°. By precipitation alone, it ranks drier than 87% of U.S. towns. Decade by decade the climate has edged up, 0.9° above 1901–2000. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Niobrara Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Niobrara Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Niobrara Township’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Niobrara Township 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 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Niobrara, NE, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Niobrara Township’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −17°. 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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Creighton, NE, is heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 27 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 Niobrara Township
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 Niobrara, NE.
Living with Niobrara Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
170 frost-free days in zone 5a. 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 3.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Niobrara Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (29%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 20%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Niobrara Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Niobrara Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Niobrara 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niobrara Township, NE | 12° | 87° | 27" | 36" |
| Council Bluffs, IA | 14° | 87° | 33" | 27" |
| Sturgis, SD | 14° | 85° | 22" | 48" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Marshall, MN | 6° | 84° | 28" | 44" |
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 Niobrara Township averaged 0.8° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.0°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Niobrara Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Niobrara Township’s place among Nebraska’s.
Niobrara Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Niobrara Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Creighton, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 12° | 0.5" | 7.1" | 5 | 14° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 15° | 0.8" | 8.4" | 6 | 13° – 35° |
| March | 48° | 26° | 1.4" | 7.9" | 7 | 27° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 36° | 3.0" | 2.5" | 9 | 39° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 47° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 55° – 65° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 11 | 66° – 75° |
| July | 87° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 68° – 83° |
| August | 84° | 61° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 68° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 52° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 7 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 63° | 39° | 2.4" | 1.0" | 7 | 44° – 55° |
| November | 47° | 26° | 1.0" | 2.7" | 5 | 27° – 46° |
| December | 35° | 16° | 0.7" | 6.0" | 5 | 14° – 30° |
| Year | 60° | 38° | 26.6" | 35.6" | 86 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 27° to 52°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Niobrara 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 Niobrara Township’s center.
- Snow: Creighton, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Niobrara, NE, 3 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Niobrara Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Niobrara Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 61% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Niobrara Township in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 147 nights a year reach 32° or below and 14 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Niobrara Township get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Creighton, NE, heaviest from February through March, about 8 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Niobrara Township?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 63°. About 37 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Niobrara, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Niobrara Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 25 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 170 frost-free days, at Niobrara, NE.
What growing zone is Niobrara Township in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −17°.
What is the best time of year to visit Niobrara 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 Niobrara Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Niobrara 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.