Precipitation in Potter trails that of 91% of U.S. towns: 17 inches a year
January nights here settle around 16°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 82% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.6° higher. Picnics, hikes and garden evenings suit May, June and September, with highs of 69–81°.
A year in Potter at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Potter’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Potter’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Potter feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 149 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 8 and the first by October 4. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Sidney 6 Nnw, NE, 4 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Potter’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −13°. 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 33 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Potter, NE, falls mostly in February, March and November. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 17 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 72 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Potter
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 Sidney 6 Nnw, NE.
Living with Potter’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
149 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 8 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 4.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Potter from natural hazards, drought is the largest share (38%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 10%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Potter and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Potter yet.
Climates most like Potter’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potter, NE | 16° | 88° | 17" | 33" |
| Stratmoor, CO | 18° | 88° | 16" | 33" |
| Lockwood, MT | 15° | 88° | 15" | 35" |
| Belle Fourche, SD | 13° | 88° | 19" | 42" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 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 Potter averaged 1.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.6°).
A bigger shift than in 64% 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 Potter compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Potter’s place among Nebraska’s.
Potter weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Potter’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Potter, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 16° | 0.3" | 3.8" | 3 | 21° – 37° |
| February | 43° | 17° | 0.5" | 6.0" | 5 | 20° – 38° |
| March | 53° | 24° | 0.9" | 5.6" | 5 | 31° – 47° |
| April | 60° | 31° | 1.8" | 4.7" | 7 | 40° – 52° |
| May | 69° | 42° | 2.8" | 0.1" | 9 | 49° – 60° |
| June | 81° | 51° | 2.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 61° – 73° |
| July | 88° | 58° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 9 | 67° – 77° |
| August | 86° | 55° | 2.0" | 0.0" | 7 | 66° – 75° |
| September | 78° | 46° | 1.5" | 0.7" | 6 | 56° – 67° |
| October | 63° | 33° | 1.3" | 2.2" | 6 | 39° – 54° |
| November | 50° | 23° | 0.5" | 5.8" | 4 | 27° – 44° |
| December | 41° | 15° | 0.4" | 4.3" | 3 | 19° – 34° |
| Year | 63° | 34° | 17.3" | 33.2" | 72 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 20° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Potter’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 Potter’s center.
- Snow: Potter, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Sidney 6 Nnw, NE, 4 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 Potter’s climate
What is the weather like in Potter?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 33 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 69% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Potter in winter?
December nights average 15°. About 170 nights a year reach 32° or below and 9 reach 0° or below. In the coldest December of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Potter get?
About 33 inches in a normal winter at Potter, NE, most of it in February, March and November.
How hot does it get in Potter?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 58°. About 36 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Sidney 6 Nnw, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Potter?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 8 and the first fall frost by October 4, about 149 frost-free days, at Sidney 6 Nnw, NE.
What growing zone is Potter in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −13°.
What is the best time of year to visit Potter?
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 Potter getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 64% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Potter.
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.