Photo: Doc Searls from Santa Barbara, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0Nights turn raw in Thedford each January, colder than in 89% of U.S. towns
Midsummer highs settle at about 88°. Winter and summer sit 74° apart. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 88% of U.S. towns. For walks and days out, May, June and September bring highs of 71–81°.
A year in Thedford at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Thedford’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Thedford’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Thedford feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 143 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 9 and the first by October 2. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Purdum, NE, 18 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower.
The 2023 USDA map puts Thedford’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −14°. 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 42 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Mullen, NE, falls mostly in February, April and December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 24 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 82 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Thedford
90% 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 Purdum, NE.
Living with Thedford’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
143 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 9 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 2.
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 Thedford from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (47%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 11%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Thedford and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Thedford yet.
Climates most like Thedford’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thedford, NE | 13° | 88° | 24" | 42" |
| Belle Fourche, SD | 13° | 88° | 19" | 42" |
| Providence, UT | 15° | 89° | 19" | 44" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| Glenwood Springs, CO | 14° | 87° | 15" | 39" |
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 Thedford averaged 0.6° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.0°).
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 Thedford compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Thedford’s place among Nebraska’s.
Thedford weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Thedford’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Mullen, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38° | 13° | 0.5" | 4.6" | 4 | 14 | 18° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 16° | 0.7" | 8.2" | 5 | 11 | 15° – 38° |
| March | 52° | 25° | 1.2" | 5.8" | 6 | 5 | 29° – 50° |
| April | 61° | 34° | 2.6" | 7.7" | 9 | 4 | 40° – 53° |
| May | 71° | 44° | 3.9" | 0.8" | 12 | 0 | 52° – 63° |
| June | 81° | 55° | 4.1" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 64° – 73° |
| July | 88° | 60° | 3.8" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 67° – 80° |
| August | 86° | 58° | 2.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 66° – 76° |
| September | 77° | 48° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 57° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 35° | 1.7" | 1.8" | 6 | 1 | 41° – 55° |
| November | 49° | 24° | 0.7" | 5.2" | 4 | 4 | 28° – 45° |
| December | 39° | 15° | 0.5" | 7.7" | 4 | 13 | 18° – 34° |
| Year | 62° | 36° | 24.3" | 41.8" | 82 | 53 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. February swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 15° to 38°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Thedford’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 Thedford’s center.
- Snow: Mullen, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Purdum, NE, 18 miles from the town’s center, 220 ft lower; 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 Thedford’s climate
What is the weather like in Thedford?
A typical July afternoon reaches 88°, a January night drops to 13°, and about 42 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 89% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 66% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Thedford in winter?
January nights average 13°. About 172 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 18°.
How much snow does Thedford get?
About 42 inches in a normal winter at Mullen, NE, most of it in February, April and December, with snow on the ground about 53 days a year.
How hot does it get in Thedford?
July, with a typical high of 88° and a low of 60°. About 35 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Purdum, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Thedford?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 9 and the first fall frost by October 2, about 143 frost-free days, at Purdum, NE.
What growing zone is Thedford in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −14°.
What is the best time of year to visit Thedford?
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 Thedford 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 Thedford.
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.