Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainWinter nights in Pilger are colder than in 92% of U.S. towns
July afternoons average 85°. The seasons are far apart: from a winter night to a summer afternoon the average spans 74°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 86% of U.S. towns. Seedlings are safe outdoors from about April 30, with the first autumn frost due around October 7.
A year in Pilger at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Pilger’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Pilger’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Pilger feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 160 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 30 and the first by October 7. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Stanton 7ne, NE, 7 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Pilger’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 26 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Stanton 7ne, NE, falls mostly in February and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 76 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Pilger
90% 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 Stanton 7ne, NE.
Living with Pilger’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
160 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by Apr 30 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 7.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Pilger from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (45%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 4%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Pilger and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Pilger yet.
Climates most like Pilger’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilger, NE | 12° | 85° | 29" | 26" |
| Adel, IA | 12° | 85° | 35" | 25" |
| Spring Valley, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 29" |
| Tecumseh, MI | 17° | 84° | 34" | 26" |
| Marshall, MN | 6° | 84° | 28" | 44" |
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 Pilger averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 94% 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 Pilger compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Pilger’s place among Nebraska’s.
Pilger weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Pilger’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Stanton 7ne, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31° | 12° | 0.6" | 5.4" | 4 | 16 | 15° – 35° |
| February | 36° | 15° | 0.8" | 6.7" | 5 | 13 | 13° – 35° |
| March | 49° | 26° | 1.5" | 3.1" | 6 | 5 | 30° – 52° |
| April | 61° | 36° | 3.0" | 1.9" | 8 | 1 | 40° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 48° | 4.3" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 66° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 51° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 38° | 2.3" | 0.4" | 6 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 48° | 25° | 1.2" | 1.9" | 3 | 2 | 28° – 47° |
| December | 35° | 16° | 0.9" | 6.3" | 5 | 11 | 13° – 30° |
| Year | 60° | 38° | 28.8" | 25.9" | 76 | 50 |
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 52°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Pilger’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 Pilger’s center.
- Snow: Stanton 7ne, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Stanton 7ne, NE, 7 miles from the town’s center, 170 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 Pilger’s climate
What is the weather like in Pilger?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 12°, and about 26 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 92% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 52% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Pilger in winter?
January nights average 12°. About 156 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Pilger get?
About 26 inches in a normal winter at Stanton 7ne, NE, most of it in February and December, with snow on the ground about 50 days a year.
How hot does it get in Pilger?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 21 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Stanton 7ne, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Pilger?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 30 and the first fall frost by October 7, about 160 frost-free days, at Stanton 7ne, NE.
What growing zone is Pilger in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Pilger?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Pilger getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 94% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Pilger.
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.