Wood River Township is drier than 88% of U.S. towns: 23 inches of precipitation a year
July afternoons average 86°. Winter nights are cold: in January they are colder than in 87% of U.S. towns. The latest 30-year average runs 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000’s, with January up the most. Central heating does most of its work from November to April, in months below 50° on average.
A year in Wood River Township at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, and what it brings.
What stands out about Wood River Township’s climate
Compared with towns across the U.S., with Wood River Township’s place in Nebraska beside it.
What a year in Wood River Township feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from NOAA’s 30-year normals.
About 145 frost-free days a year
In half of years the last 32° night comes by May 10 and the first by October 1. Frost and day counts come from NOAA’s station at Oconto, NE, 1.8 miles from the town’s center, at about the same height.
The 2023 USDA map puts Wood River 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 30 inches of snow a winter
Snow, measured at Broken Bow 2 W, NE, falls mostly in February. Precipitation (rain plus melted snow) adds up to 23 inches a year; May is the wettest month and January the driest. Rain or snow falls on about 83 days a year.
Rain + melted snow by month
Inches of water
Snowfall by month
Inches of snow
Heating and cooling a home in Wood River 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 Oconto, NE.
Living with Wood River Township’s climate
What the numbers mean for a garden, a free afternoon and a bad-weather day.
145 frost-free days in zone 5a. The last frost comes by May 10 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 and September. 3.2 miles of trails are waiting.
Parks & trails →Of the yearly building losses FEMA expects in Wood River Township from natural hazards, river flooding is the largest share (51%); heat waves, cold waves, winter storms and ice storms together are 7%. Normals are averages; the hazards page covers the extremes.
Natural hazards →Wood River Township and its neighbors
Every town next door is within a degree of Wood River Township in January and July, closer than the 5 km grid can tell apart. Tap a town to see its climate.
Climates most like Wood River 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood River Township, NE | 14° | 86° | 23" | 30" |
| Rapid City, SD | 14° | 86° | 19" | 36" |
| Sergeant Bluff, IA | 11° | 86° | 30" | 36" |
| Cimarron Hills, CO | 18° | 85° | 17" | 33" |
| Raton, NM | 15° | 85° | 16" | 25" |
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 Wood River Township averaged 0.7° warmer than the 1900s. The biggest change is in January (+2.9°).
A smaller shift than in 92% 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 Wood River Township compares
Against 12,954 U.S. towns of 2,500 or more (one per 5 km climate cell), with Wood River Township’s place among Nebraska’s.
Wood River Township weather by month
Highs, lows and precipitation from NOAA’s grid at Wood River Township’s center; snow, wet days and snow on the ground from Broken Bow 2 W, NE. 1991–2020 normals.
| Month | High | Low | Rain + melt | Snow | Wet days | 30-yr range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 14° | 0.4" | 4.4" | 4 | 17° – 38° |
| February | 41° | 17° | 0.6" | 7.0" | 5 | 18° – 37° |
| March | 52° | 26° | 1.2" | 3.8" | 7 | 31° – 51° |
| April | 61° | 35° | 2.6" | 2.8" | 10 | 41° – 54° |
| May | 71° | 45° | 4.1" | 0.1" | 11 | 52° – 64° |
| June | 82° | 56° | 3.7" | 0.0" | 11 | 64° – 75° |
| July | 86° | 61° | 3.1" | 0.0" | 9 | 68° – 79° |
| August | 84° | 59° | 2.9" | 0.0" | 7 | 67° – 77° |
| September | 78° | 50° | 1.8" | 0.0" | 6 | 58° – 69° |
| October | 64° | 36° | 1.9" | 2.0" | 7 | 42° – 56° |
| November | 50° | 24° | 0.8" | 3.7" | 5 | 26° – 44° |
| December | 39° | 16° | 0.5" | 5.7" | 4 | 19° – 32° |
| Year | 62° | 37° | 23.4" | 29.5" | 83 |
How much a month can swing
A normal is an average. January swings the most: from 1991 to 2020 its average ranged from 17° to 38°. August is the most reliable, staying within 11°.
Where Wood River 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 Wood River Township’s center.
- Snow: Broken Bow 2 W, NE.
- Frost, freezing nights, 90° and 100° days, heating and cooling: Oconto, NE, 1.8 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 Wood River Township’s climate
What is the weather like in Wood River Township?
A typical July afternoon reaches 86°, a January night drops to 14°, and about 30 inches of snow falls in a normal winter. Colder January nights than 87% of U.S. towns; hotter July afternoons than 58% of U.S. towns.
How cold does it get in Wood River Township in winter?
January nights average 14°. About 165 nights a year reach 32° or below and 13 reach 0° or below. In the coldest January of the last 30 years the month averaged 17°.
How much snow does Wood River Township get?
About 30 inches in a normal winter at Broken Bow 2 W, NE, most of it in February.
How hot does it get in Wood River Township?
July, with a typical high of 86° and a low of 61°. About 32 days a year reach 90° and 3 reach 100° (Oconto, NE).
When is the first and last frost in Wood River Township?
In half of years the last spring frost (32°) comes by May 10 and the first fall frost by October 1, about 145 frost-free days, at Oconto, NE.
What growing zone is Wood River 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 Wood River Township?
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 Wood River Township getting warmer?
Yes: 1991–2020 averaged 0.7° warmer than 1901–2000 on NOAA’s grid. A smaller shift than 92% of U.S. towns.
Neighbors talk weather
Gardens, snow, and the best days of the year in Wood River 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.