Photo: Tony Webster from Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · CC BY 2.0Omaha’s winters are colder than most of the U.S., with about 27 inches of snow in Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Omaha at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Omaha’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Omaha’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Omaha feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 185 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 18 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE, Omaha’s official weather station (the one in National Weather Service reports), 9 miles from the city’s center point, 160 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Omaha’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 27 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Omaha
82% 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 Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE.
Living with Omaha’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
185 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 18 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 81 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Omaha from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 17%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Omaha and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Omaha in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Omaha’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE | 14° | 86° | 33" | 27" |
| Ottumwa, IA | 14° | 86° | 37" | 24" |
| Spring Valley, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 29" |
| Wauseon, OH | 18° | 84° | 35" | 27" |
| Westland, MI | 18° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
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 Omaha averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.6°).
A smaller shift than in 78% 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. In a city of 489,000 people, part of the change is the city itself: pavement and buildings hold heat (the urban heat island).
How Omaha compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Omaha’s place among Nebraska’s.
Omaha weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Omaha’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 14° | 0.8" | 7.2" | 7 | 14 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 18° | 1.0" | 7.8" | 7 | 11 | 17° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 1.9" | 3.0" | 8 | 4 | 32° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.3" | 1.0" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 4.9" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 70° – 83° |
| August | 84° | 64° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.5" | 0.5" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 49° | 29° | 1.4" | 1.7" | 6 | 2 | 30° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 19° | 1.3" | 5.8" | 7 | 9 | 15° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 40° | 32.9" | 27.1" | 103 | 40 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Omaha’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 Omaha’s center.
- Snow: Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE (the official station).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE, 9 miles from the city’s center point, 160 ft lower; the city’s official station.
- 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 Omaha’s climate
What is the weather like in Omaha?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 57% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Omaha in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 135 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Omaha get?
About 27 inches in a normal winter at Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 8 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 40 days a year.
How hot does it get in Omaha?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 33 days a year reach 90° and 2 reach 100° (Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Omaha?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 18 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 185 frost-free days, at Omaha Eppley Airfield, NE.
What growing zone is Omaha 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 Omaha?
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 Omaha getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 78% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Omaha.
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.