Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainOrd’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Ord at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ord’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ord’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Ord feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 150 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by October 3. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Ord Evelyn Sharp Fld, NE, 2.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ord’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −15°. 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 35 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Ord #2, NE, falls mostly in January, February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 26 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 93 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ord
89% 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 Ord Evelyn Sharp Fld, NE.
Living with Ord’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
150 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 5 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 3.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ord from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 12%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ord and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ord yet.
Climates most like Ord’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ord, NE | 12° | 86° | 26" | 35" |
| Mitchell, SD | 8° | 86° | 25" | 41" |
| Le Mars, IA | 9° | 85° | 30" | 31" |
| Marshall, MN | 6° | 84° | 28" | 44" |
| Air Force Academy, CO | 14° | 84° | 21" | 55" |
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 Ord averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.2°).
A smaller shift than in 72% 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 Ord compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ord’s place among Nebraska’s.
Ord weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ord’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Ord #2, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35° | 12° | 0.5" | 7.0" | 5 | 14 | 15° – 37° |
| February | 39° | 16° | 0.7" | 7.2" | 6 | 11 | 17° – 36° |
| March | 51° | 25° | 1.4" | 5.3" | 7 | 5 | 30° – 51° |
| April | 61° | 35° | 3.0" | 3.0" | 10 | 2 | 41° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 46° | 4.1" | 0.2" | 12 | 0 | 53° – 64° |
| June | 81° | 57° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 65° – 74° |
| July | 86° | 62° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 60° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 50° | 2.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 37° | 2.0" | 1.5" | 7 | 1 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 49° | 24° | 1.0" | 4.3" | 5 | 4 | 27° – 44° |
| December | 37° | 15° | 0.7" | 6.5" | 5 | 11 | 16° – 31° |
| Year | 61° | 37° | 26.2" | 35.0" | 93 | 46 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 30° to 51°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Ord’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 Ord’s center.
- Snow: Ord #2, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Ord Evelyn Sharp Fld, NE, 2.2 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 Ord’s climate
What is the weather like in Ord?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 35 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 91% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ord in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 164 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 15°.
How much snow does Ord get?
About 35 inches in a normal winter at Ord #2, NE, most of it in January, February and December, with snow on the ground about 46 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ord?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 62°. About 33 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Ord Evelyn Sharp Fld, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Ord?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 3, about 150 frost-free days, at Ord Evelyn Sharp Fld, NE.
What growing zone is Ord in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −15°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ord?
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 Ord getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 72% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ord.
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.