Precipitation in Sumner trails that of 88% of U.S. towns: 24 inches a year
The coldest hours of a January night bottom out at 14° on average. May is the wettest month, January the driest. Its January nights bite harder than in 87% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to April, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Sumner at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Sumner’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Sumner’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Sumner feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 169 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 26 and the first by October 13. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Canaday Steam Plt, NE, 20 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Sumner’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −12°. 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 25 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Miller, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 69 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Sumner
87% 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 Canaday Steam Plt, NE.
Living with Sumner’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
169 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 26 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, June and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Sumner from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 2%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Sumner and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Sumner yet.
Climates most like Sumner’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sumner, NE | 14° | 87° | 24" | 25" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| Las Vegas, NM | 18° | 86° | 16" | 22" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
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 Sumner averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.7°).
A smaller shift than in 93% 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 Sumner compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Sumner’s place among Nebraska’s.
Sumner weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Sumner’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Miller, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 14° | 0.4" | 4.8" | 3 | 9 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 17° | 0.6" | 6.0" | 4 | 8 | 18° – 38° |
| March | 52° | 26° | 1.3" | 3.3" | 5 | 4 | 31° – 51° |
| April | 62° | 35° | 2.5" | 2.5" | 7 | 1 | 41° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 46° | 3.9" | 0.2" | 10 | 0 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 82° | 57° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 65° – 75° |
| July | 87° | 62° | 3.4" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 68° – 80° |
| August | 85° | 60° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 50° | 1.9" | 0.0" | 5 | 0 | 58° – 70° |
| October | 65° | 37° | 1.9" | 1.0" | 5 | 1 | 43° – 56° |
| November | 50° | 25° | 1.0" | 2.3" | 3 | 3 | 27° – 45° |
| December | 39° | 16° | 0.5" | 4.9" | 3 | 8 | 19° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 37° | 24.2" | 25.0" | 69 | 33 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Sumner’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 Sumner’s center.
- Snow: Miller, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Canaday Steam Plt, NE, 20 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 Sumner’s climate
What is the weather like in Sumner?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 25 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 60% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Sumner in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 154 nights a year reach 32° or below and 10 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Sumner get?
About 25 inches in a normal winter at Miller, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 33 days a year.
How hot does it get in Sumner?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 62°. About 29 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Canaday Steam Plt, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Sumner?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 26 and the first fall frost by October 13, about 169 frost-free days, at Canaday Steam Plt, NE.
What growing zone is Sumner in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −12°.
What is the best time of year to visit Sumner?
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 Sumner getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 93% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Sumner.
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.