Winter nights in Thayer Township are colder than in 93% of U.S. towns
Sunny July days climb to about 85°. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 86% of U.S. towns. Compared with 1901–2000, the average now sits 0.6° higher. The heating season runs November to April: each of those months averages under 50°.
A year in Thayer Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Thayer Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Thayer Township’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Thayer Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 148 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 5 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Wakefield, NE, 10 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Thayer Township’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −16°. 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 31 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Emerson, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 29 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 75 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Thayer Township
89% 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 Wakefield, NE.
Living with Thayer Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
148 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 5 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 1.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Thayer Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (29%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Thayer Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Thayer Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Thayer Township’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thayer Township, NE | 11° | 85° | 29" | 31" |
| Winterset, IA | 13° | 85° | 35" | 31" |
| Marshall, MN | 6° | 84° | 28" | 44" |
| Spring Valley, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 29" |
| Mount Pleasant, MI | 15° | 83° | 33" | 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 Thayer Township averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.2°).
A smaller shift than in 95% 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 Thayer Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Thayer Township’s place among Nebraska’s.
Thayer Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Thayer Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Emerson, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30° | 11° | 0.6" | 6.7" | 4 | 14 | 14° – 34° |
| February | 35° | 15° | 0.8" | 8.0" | 3 | 11 | 13° – 35° |
| March | 48° | 26° | 1.5" | 4.9" | 5 | 5 | 29° – 51° |
| April | 61° | 36° | 3.0" | 1.6" | 9 | 1 | 40° – 54° |
| May | 72° | 48° | 4.2" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 55° – 65° |
| June | 82° | 59° | 4.7" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| July | 85° | 63° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 81° |
| August | 83° | 61° | 3.9" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 76° | 51° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 63° | 39° | 2.3" | 0.4" | 5 | 0 | 43° – 55° |
| November | 47° | 25° | 1.3" | 3.0" | 4 | 3 | 27° – 46° |
| December | 34° | 15° | 1.0" | 6.0" | 4 | 8 | 12° – 30° |
| Year | 59° | 37° | 29.2" | 30.6" | 75 | 42 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 29° to 51°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Thayer Township’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 Thayer Township’s center.
- Snow: Emerson, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Wakefield, NE, 10 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 Thayer Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Thayer Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 85°, a January night drops to 11°, and about 31 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 93% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 51% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Thayer Township in winter?
January nights average 11°. About 157 nights a year reach 32° or below and 18 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 14°.
How much snow does Thayer Township get?
About 31 inches in a normal winter at Emerson, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 42 days a year.
How hot does it get in Thayer Township?
July, with a typical high of 85° and a low of 63°. About 27 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Wakefield, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Thayer Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 5 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 148 frost-free days, at Wakefield, NE.
What growing zone is Thayer Township in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −16°.
What is the best time of year to visit Thayer Township?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May, June, August and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Thayer Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.6° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 95% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Thayer Township.
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.