Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainSurprise’s winters are colder and snowier than most of the U.S.
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter.
A year in Surprise at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Surprise’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Surprise’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Surprise feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 163 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 29 and the first by October 9. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Surprise, NE, 0.0 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Surprise’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 24 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Surprise, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 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 Surprise
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 Surprise, NE.
Living with Surprise’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
163 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 9.
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 Surprise from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 5%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Surprise and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Surprise yet.
Climates most like Surprise’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surprise, NE | 14° | 86° | 29" | 24" |
| Adel, IA | 12° | 85° | 35" | 25" |
| Ottawa, IL | 16° | 85° | 37" | 24" |
| Livonia, MI | 18° | 84° | 33" | 31" |
| Wauseon, OH | 18° | 84° | 35" | 27" |
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 Surprise averaged 0.9° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 87% 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 Surprise compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Surprise’s place among Nebraska’s.
Surprise weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Surprise’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Surprise, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34° | 14° | 0.6" | 5.8" | 4 | 16 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 39° | 18° | 0.7" | 6.4" | 4 | 14 | 16° – 37° |
| March | 51° | 28° | 1.5" | 3.6" | 5 | 5 | 31° – 53° |
| April | 62° | 38° | 2.8" | 1.5" | 7 | 1 | 42° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 50° | 4.9" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 56° – 67° |
| June | 83° | 61° | 4.4" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 68° – 76° |
| July | 86° | 65° | 3.3" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 70° – 80° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 3.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 69° – 78° |
| September | 77° | 53° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 60° – 71° |
| October | 65° | 40° | 2.2" | 0.6" | 5 | 0 | 45° – 56° |
| November | 50° | 27° | 1.3" | 1.5" | 4 | 2 | 30° – 49° |
| December | 37° | 18° | 1.0" | 4.9" | 4 | 10 | 15° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 39° | 28.8" | 24.3" | 72 | 47 |
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 8°.
Where Surprise’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 Surprise’s center.
- Snow: Surprise, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Surprise, NE, 0.0 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 Surprise’s climate
What is the weather like in Surprise?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 56% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Surprise in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 150 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Surprise get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Surprise, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 6 inches a month, with snow on the ground about 47 days a year.
How hot does it get in Surprise?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 65°. About 31 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Surprise, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Surprise?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 29 and the first fall frost by October 9, about 163 frost-free days, at Surprise, NE.
What growing zone is Surprise 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 Surprise?
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 Surprise getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.9° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 87% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Surprise.
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.