Dawes County Courthouse · Photo: Ammodramus · Public domainWhitney reaches 100° on about 11 days a year, more than 91% of U.S. towns
Midwinter brings lows of about 14°. The wettest month is May; the driest is January. It is a dry place: less rain and snow fall here than on 91% of U.S. towns. For walks and days out, May, June and September bring highs of 70–82°.
A year in Whitney at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Whitney’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Whitney’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Whitney feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 133 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 15 and the first by September 28. Day counts come from NOAA’s station at Chadron Muni Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 100 ft lower; frost dates and degree days from Chadron 3sw, NE, 10 miles away.
The 2023 USDA map puts Whitney’s center in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical winter, averaged over 1991–2020, reaches about −18°. 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 50 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Chadron 3sw, NE, falls mostly in December. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 18 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 79 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Whitney
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 Chadron 3sw, NE.
Living with Whitney’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
133 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 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 Sep 28.
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 Whitney from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (30%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 13%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Whitney and similar climates
TownRatings has no climate map of the towns around Whitney yet.
Climates most like Whitney’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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whitney, NE | 14° | 90° | 18" | 50" |
| North Logan, UT | 15° | 90° | 17" | 44" |
| Preston, ID | 14° | 89° | 15" | 52" |
| Longmont, CO | 16° | 90° | 16" | 47" |
| Billings, MT | 15° | 89° | 14" | 48" |
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 Whitney averaged 1.5° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+3.9°).
A bigger shift than in 58% 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 Whitney compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Whitney’s place among Nebraska’s.
Whitney weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Whitney’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Chadron 3sw, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | Snow on ground | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 14° | 0.4" | 5.8" | 4 | 15 | 19° – 36° |
| February | 42° | 16° | 0.6" | 8.6" | 6 | 11 | 17° – 38° |
| March | 53° | 24° | 1.2" | 7.9" | 6 | 7 | 25° – 49° |
| April | 61° | 31° | 2.1" | 5.6" | 9 | 3 | 40° – 52° |
| May | 70° | 42° | 3.1" | 1.4" | 11 | 0 | 50° – 61° |
| June | 82° | 52° | 2.8" | 0.0" | 9 | 0 | 61° – 74° |
| July | 90° | 59° | 2.1" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 80° |
| August | 88° | 56° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 7 | 0 | 67° – 76° |
| September | 79° | 47° | 1.5" | 0.0" | 6 | 0 | 57° – 68° |
| October | 64° | 33° | 1.5" | 4.7" | 6 | 2 | 40° – 55° |
| November | 50° | 23° | 0.6" | 6.3" | 4 | 6 | 26° – 46° |
| December | 40° | 14° | 0.5" | 10.0" | 5 | 14 | 17° – 34° |
| Year | 63° | 34° | 17.9" | 50.3" | 79 | 59 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. March swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 25° to 49°. August is the most reliable, staying within 9°.
Where Whitney’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 Whitney’s center.
- Snow: Chadron 3sw, NE.
- Frost dates, heating and cooling: Chadron 3sw, NE, 10 miles away.
- Freezing nights, 90° and 100° days: Chadron Muni Airport, 9 miles from the town’s center, 100 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 Whitney’s climate
What is the weather like in Whitney?
A typical July afternoon reaches 90°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 50 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 88% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 75% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Whitney in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 180 nights a year reach 32° or below and 17 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 19°.
How much snow does Whitney get?
About 50 inches in a normal winter at Chadron 3sw, NE, most of it in December, with snow on the ground about 59 days a year.
How hot does it get in Whitney?
July, with a typical high of 90° and a low of 59°. About 55 days a year reach 90° and 11 reach 100° (Chadron 3sw, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Whitney?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 15 and the first fall frost by September 28, about 133 frost-free days, at Chadron 3sw, NE.
What growing zone is Whitney in?
Zone 5a on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map: the coldest night of a typical winter reaches about −18°.
What is the best time of year to visit Whitney?
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 Whitney getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 1.5° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A bigger shift than 58% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Whitney.
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.