Scribner Town Hall · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0January in Scribner bites harder than in 90% of U.S. towns
Peak summer warmth arrives in July, with afternoons near 86°. Only 73° separates winter nights from summer afternoons. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 85% of U.S. towns. Comfortable outdoor weather lasts from May to June and August to October, with highs of 64–84°.
A year in Scribner at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Scribner’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Scribner’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Scribner feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 165 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 28 and the first by October 12. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at W Pt, NE, 13 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Scribner’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 34 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Dodge, NE, falls mostly in January. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 30 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Scribner
88% 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 W Pt, NE.
Living with Scribner’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
165 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 28 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 12.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 0.0 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Scribner from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (48%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Scribner and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Scribner in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Scribner’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scribner, NE | 13° | 86° | 30" | 34" |
| Des Moines, IA | 13° | 85° | 35" | 37" |
| Rock Island, IL | 14° | 85° | 37" | 36" |
| Mitchell, SD | 8° | 86° | 25" | 41" |
| Milan, MI | 17° | 84° | 34" | 39" |
Temperatures and rain come from NOAA’s 5 km grid, so each town gets its own value. Snow and frost-free days come from the nearest weather station, so neighbors often share them.
Warmer than it used to be
The last 30 years in Scribner averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.4°).
A smaller shift than in 82% 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 Scribner compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Scribner’s place among Nebraska’s.
Scribner weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Scribner’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Dodge, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 32° | 13° | 0.7" | 8.6" | 5 | 19 | 15° – 36° |
| February | 37° | 17° | 0.8" | 7.7" | 5 | 13 | 15° – 36° |
| March | 49° | 27° | 1.6" | 5.0" | 6 | 7 | 31° – 53° |
| April | 62° | 38° | 3.1" | 2.1" | 9 | 0 | 41° – 55° |
| May | 73° | 49° | 4.5" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| June | 82° | 61° | 4.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 86° | 64° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 69° – 82° |
| August | 84° | 62° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 59° – 70° |
| October | 64° | 40° | 2.2" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| November | 48° | 27° | 1.3" | 3.4" | 5 | 4 | 28° – 49° |
| December | 35° | 17° | 1.0" | 6.3" | 4 | 12 | 13° – 32° |
| Year | 61° | 39° | 30.1" | 33.5" | 79 | 56 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 31° to 53°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Scribner’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 Scribner’s center.
- Snow: Dodge, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: W Pt, NE, 13 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 Scribner’s climate
What is the weather like in Scribner?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 34 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 90% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 56% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Scribner in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 153 nights a year reach 32° or below and 16 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 15°.
How much snow does Scribner get?
About 34 inches in a normal winter at Dodge, NE, most of it in January, with snow on the ground about 56 days a year.
How hot does it get in Scribner?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 64°. About 21 days a year reach 90° (W Pt, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Scribner?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 28 and the first fall frost by October 12, about 165 frost-free days, at W Pt, NE.
What growing zone is Scribner 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 Scribner?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August, September and October. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Scribner getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 82% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Scribner.
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.