Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainRuskin is drier than 86% of U.S. towns: 28 inches of precipitation a year
On a normal January night the air cools to about 16°. Its January nights bite harder than in 82% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 1.1° higher. The outdoor season, with highs of 67–79°, runs through May, September and October.
A year in Ruskin at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Ruskin’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Ruskin’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Ruskin feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 162 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 10. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Superior, NE, 14 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Ruskin’s center in zone 6a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −8°. 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 21 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Hardy, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 28 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Ruskin
85% 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 Superior, NE.
Living with Ruskin’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
162 frost-free days in zone 6a. The last frost comes by Apr 29 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 10.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, September and October.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Ruskin from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (37%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 3%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Ruskin and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Ruskin yet.
Climates most like Ruskin’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruskin, NE | 16° | 89° | 28" | 21" |
| Atchison, KS | 19° | 88° | 37" | 17" |
| South Ogden, UT | 21° | 91° | 22" | 23" |
| St. Joseph, MO | 18° | 87° | 37" | 21" |
| Clarinda, IA | 14° | 86° | 36" | 23" |
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 Ruskin averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 69% 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 Ruskin compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Ruskin’s place among Nebraska’s.
Ruskin weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Ruskin’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Hardy, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 16° | 0.7" | 6.0" | 5 | 11 | 19° – 38° |
| February | 42° | 19° | 0.8" | 5.0" | 4 | 8 | 22° – 40° |
| March | 53° | 29° | 1.5" | 2.1" | 7 | 3 | 33° – 54° |
| April | 64° | 39° | 2.5" | 1.1" | 9 | 1 | 43° – 57° |
| May | 74° | 50° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 56° – 69° |
| June | 84° | 61° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 89° | 65° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 72° – 82° |
| August | 86° | 63° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 70° – 81° |
| September | 79° | 54° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 73° |
| October | 67° | 41° | 2.2" | 0.6" | 7 | 0 | 46° – 58° |
| November | 52° | 28° | 1.2" | 2.8" | 5 | 2 | 32° – 48° |
| December | 40° | 19° | 0.9" | 3.1" | 4 | 8 | 18° – 34° |
| Year | 64° | 40° | 28.4" | 20.7" | 83 | 33 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 33° to 54°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Ruskin’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 Ruskin’s center.
- Snow: Hardy, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Superior, NE, 14 miles from the town’s center, 170 ft lower; 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 Ruskin’s climate
What is the weather like in Ruskin?
A typical July afternoon reaches 89°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 21 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 70% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Ruskin in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 142 nights a year reach 32° or below and 8 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Ruskin get?
About 21 inches in a normal winter at Hardy, NE, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 33 days a year.
How hot does it get in Ruskin?
July, with a typical high of 89° and a low of 65°. About 50 days a year reach 90° and 7 reach 100° (Superior, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Ruskin?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 10, about 162 frost-free days, at Superior, NE.
What growing zone is Ruskin in?
Zone 6a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −8°.
What is the best time of year to visit Ruskin?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Ruskin getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 69% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Ruskin.
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.