Photo: Atomic Energy505 · CC BY-SA 3.0Papillion’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Papillion at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Papillion’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Papillion’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Papillion feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 179 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 21 and the first by October 18. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Gretna 4ne, NE, 6 miles from the town’s center, 140 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Papillion’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 36 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Gretna 4ne, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 33 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 108 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Papillion
86% 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 Gretna 4ne, NE.
Living with Papillion’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
179 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 21 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, September and October. 14 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Papillion from natural hazards, tornadoes are the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 15%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Papillion and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Papillion yet.
Climates most like Papillion’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papillion, NE | 14° | 86° | 33" | 36" |
| Knoxville, IA | 14° | 85° | 37" | 30" |
| Rock Island, IL | 14° | 85° | 37" | 36" |
| Sylvania, OH | 19° | 85° | 34" | 37" |
| Milan, MI | 17° | 84° | 34" | 39" |
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 Papillion averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 80% 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 Papillion compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Papillion’s place among Nebraska’s.
Papillion weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Papillion’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Gretna 4ne, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 14° | 0.8" | 8.6" | 7 | 15 | 16° – 37° |
| February | 38° | 19° | 1.0" | 10.9" | 8 | 13 | 17° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 30° | 1.9" | 5.4" | 8 | 5 | 32° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 40° | 3.2" | 1.0" | 11 | 0 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 5.0" | 0.2" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 12 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 66° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 71° – 83° |
| August | 84° | 64° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 79° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 42° | 2.5" | 1.2" | 9 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 50° | 29° | 1.4" | 1.3" | 6 | 2 | 30° – 50° |
| December | 37° | 19° | 1.3" | 7.8" | 7 | 10 | 15° – 34° |
| Year | 62° | 41° | 32.9" | 36.4" | 108 | 46 |
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 Papillion’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 Papillion’s center.
- Snow: Gretna 4ne, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Gretna 4ne, NE, 6 miles from the town’s center, 140 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 Papillion’s climate
What is the weather like in Papillion?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 36 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 86% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Papillion in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 136 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 16°.
How much snow does Papillion get?
About 36 inches in a normal winter at Gretna 4ne, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 46 days a year.
How hot does it get in Papillion?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 66°. About 26 days a year reach 90° (Gretna 4ne, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Papillion?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 21 and the first fall frost by October 18, about 179 frost-free days, at Gretna 4ne, NE.
What growing zone is Papillion 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 Papillion?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Papillion getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 80% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Papillion.
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.