Valley has colder winter nights than 87% of U.S. towns
Expect July afternoons of about 87°. Temperatures cover 73° across the year, low to high. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 84% of U.S. towns. Warm coats and heating bills mark the months from November to March, when means dip under 50°.
A year in Valley at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Valley’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Valley’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Valley feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 187 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by April 15 and the first by October 21. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Valley Nws, NE, 0.2 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Valley’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 32 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Valley Nws, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 32 inches a year; June is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 103 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Valley
83% 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 Valley Nws, NE.
Living with Valley’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
187 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by Apr 15 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 21.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May, June, August, September and October. 2.6 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Valley from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (49%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 9%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Valley and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Valley in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Valley’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valley, NE | 14° | 87° | 32" | 32" |
| Knoxville, IA | 14° | 85° | 37" | 30" |
| Spring Valley, IL | 15° | 85° | 37" | 29" |
| Sylvania, OH | 19° | 85° | 34" | 37" |
| Westland, MI | 18° | 84° | 34" | 31" |
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 Valley averaged 1.1° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+2.5°).
A smaller shift than in 71% 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 Valley compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Valley’s place among Nebraska’s.
Valley weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Valley’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Valley Nws, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33° | 14° | 0.8" | 7.4" | 6 | 14 | 16° – 36° |
| February | 38° | 18° | 1.0" | 9.5" | 7 | 12 | 17° – 38° |
| March | 51° | 29° | 1.8" | 5.0" | 9 | 4 | 32° – 55° |
| April | 63° | 39° | 3.1" | 1.4" | 11 | 0 | 44° – 56° |
| May | 73° | 51° | 4.8" | 0.1" | 13 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| June | 83° | 62° | 5.0" | 0.0" | 11 | 0 | 68° – 77° |
| July | 87° | 66° | 3.6" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 70° – 83° |
| August | 84° | 63° | 4.0" | 0.0" | 10 | 0 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 78° | 54° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 8 | 0 | 60° – 72° |
| October | 65° | 41° | 2.4" | 1.0" | 8 | 0 | 45° – 57° |
| November | 49° | 29° | 1.4" | 1.2" | 6 | 1 | 30° – 50° |
| December | 36° | 19° | 1.2" | 6.2" | 6 | 9 | 15° – 33° |
| Year | 62° | 40° | 32.1" | 31.8" | 103 | 41 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 32° to 55°. June is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Valley’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 Valley’s center.
- Snow: Valley Nws, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Valley Nws, NE, 0.2 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 Valley’s climate
What is the weather like in Valley?
A typical July afternoon reaches 87°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 32 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 Valley in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 136 nights a year reach 32° or below and 11 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 16°.
How much snow does Valley get?
About 32 inches in a normal winter at Valley Nws, NE, most of it in February, with snow on the ground about 41 days a year.
How hot does it get in Valley?
July, with a typical high of 87° and a low of 66°. About 25 days a year reach 90° and 1 reach 100° (Valley Nws, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Valley?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by April 15 and the first fall frost by October 21, about 187 frost-free days, at Valley Nws, NE.
What growing zone is Valley 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 Valley?
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 Valley getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.1° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 71% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Valley.
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.