Bridge · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Stratton reaches 100° on about 12 days a year, more than 92% of U.S. towns
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Stratton at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Stratton’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Stratton’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Stratton feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 166 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Trenton Dam 1n, NE, 9 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Stratton’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −10°. 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 20 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Stratton, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 64 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Stratton
84% 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 Trenton Dam 1n, NE.
Living with Stratton’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
166 frost-free days in zone 5b. 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 13.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Stratton from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (22%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 8%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Stratton and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Stratton yet.
Climates most like Stratton’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stratton, NE | 16° | 92° | 20" | 20" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Garden City, KS | 18° | 93° | 19" | 16" |
| Dalhart, TX | 21° | 92° | 16" | 20" |
| Lamar, CO | 16° | 94° | 15" | 30" |
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 Stratton averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
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 Stratton compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Stratton’s place among Nebraska’s.
Stratton weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Stratton’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Stratton, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 16° | 0.4" | 4.6" | 2 | 19° – 39° |
| February | 46° | 19° | 0.5" | 4.9" | 3 | 22° – 40° |
| March | 57° | 27° | 1.0" | 3.7" | 4 | 34° – 52° |
| April | 65° | 36° | 2.1" | 0.6" | 7 | 45° – 56° |
| May | 75° | 46° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 9 | 53° – 65° |
| June | 87° | 57° | 3.0" | 0.0" | 8 | 67° – 78° |
| July | 92° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 72° – 83° |
| August | 90° | 61° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 7 | 69° – 80° |
| September | 82° | 51° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 5 | 59° – 72° |
| October | 68° | 37° | 1.5" | 0.8" | 5 | 44° – 57° |
| November | 54° | 25° | 0.6" | 2.2" | 3 | 31° – 45° |
| December | 44° | 17° | 0.5" | 2.8" | 2 | 22° – 36° |
| Year | 67° | 38° | 19.9" | 19.7" | 64 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Stratton’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 Stratton’s center.
- Snow: Stratton, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Trenton Dam 1n, NE, 9 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 Stratton’s climate
What is the weather like in Stratton?
A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 20 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 87% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Stratton in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 158 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Stratton get?
About 20 inches in a normal winter at Stratton, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Stratton?
July, with a typical high of 92° and a low of 62°. About 58 days a year reach 90° and 12 reach 100° (Trenton Dam 1n, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Stratton?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 166 frost-free days, at Trenton Dam 1n, NE.
What growing zone is Stratton in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −10°.
What is the best time of year to visit Stratton?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Stratton 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 Stratton.
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.