Wauneta Roller Mills · Photo: Ammodramus · CC0Wauneta reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
Deep winter brings January lows near 16°. A year here swings 75° from midwinter lows to midsummer highs. Its yearly precipitation falls short of 90% of U.S. towns. Garden planting can start around May 2; autumn frost returns near October 11.
A year in Wauneta at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wauneta’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wauneta’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Wauneta feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 160 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 2 and the first by October 11. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Imperial Muni Airport, 15 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wauneta’s center in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −11°. 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 Wauneta, NE, is heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 20 inches a year; July is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 68 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wauneta
85% 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 Imperial Muni Airport.
Living with Wauneta’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
160 frost-free days in zone 5b. The last frost comes by May 2 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 11.
Months with highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more: May and September.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wauneta from natural hazards, hail is the largest share (36%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 16%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wauneta and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Wauneta yet.
Climates most like Wauneta’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wauneta, NE | 16° | 91° | 20" | 24" |
| Harrisville, UT | 19° | 92° | 20" | 23" |
| Greeley, CO | 15° | 90° | 14" | 33" |
| Torrington, WY | 14° | 90° | 13" | 31" |
| Dodge City, KS | 20° | 93° | 23" | 19" |
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 Wauneta averaged 1.0° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in March (+3.3°).
A smaller shift than in 78% 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 Wauneta compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wauneta’s place among Nebraska’s.
Wauneta weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wauneta’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Wauneta, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42° | 16° | 0.4" | 5.1" | 3 | 19° – 39° |
| February | 45° | 18° | 0.5" | 5.0" | 4 | 21° – 40° |
| March | 56° | 27° | 1.0" | 3.1" | 5 | 34° – 51° |
| April | 64° | 35° | 2.1" | 1.8" | 8 | 44° – 55° |
| May | 73° | 45° | 3.0" | 0.1" | 9 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 85° | 56° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 67° – 77° |
| July | 91° | 62° | 3.2" | 0.0" | 8 | 70° – 81° |
| August | 88° | 60° | 2.6" | 0.0" | 7 | 68° – 78° |
| September | 80° | 50° | 1.4" | 0.4" | 5 | 59° – 71° |
| October | 67° | 37° | 1.5" | 0.9" | 5 | 43° – 57° |
| November | 53° | 25° | 0.6" | 3.4" | 4 | 30° – 46° |
| December | 43° | 17° | 0.4" | 3.9" | 3 | 21° – 36° |
| Year | 65° | 37° | 19.7" | 23.7" | 68 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 19° to 39°. June is the most reliable, staying within 10°.
Where Wauneta’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 Wauneta’s center.
- Snow: Wauneta, NE (NOAA station in town).
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Imperial Muni Airport, 15 miles from the town’s center, 310 ft higher; 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 Wauneta’s climate
What is the weather like in Wauneta?
A typical July afternoon reaches 91°, a January night drops to 16°, and about 24 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 82% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 80% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wauneta in winter?
January nights average 16°. About 159 nights a year reach 32° or below and 7 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Wauneta get?
About 24 inches in a normal winter at Wauneta, NE, heaviest from January through February, about 5 inches a month.
How hot does it get in Wauneta?
July, with a typical high of 91° and a low of 62°. About 58 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Imperial Muni Airport).
When is the first and last frost in Wauneta?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 2 and the first fall frost by October 11, about 160 frost-free days, at Imperial Muni Airport.
What growing zone is Wauneta in?
Zone 5b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −11°.
What is the best time of year to visit Wauneta?
By one simple rule (highs of 62–84° and lows of 40° or more), May and September. The rule is ours, not NOAA’s; the month table has the numbers to judge by.
Is Wauneta getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.0° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 78% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wauneta.
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.