Ainsworth, NE Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Ainsworth's primary NOAA station, AINSWORTH.
The climate verdict for Ainsworth
Ainsworth, Nebraska has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 50°F. Its climate comfort score of 59/100 (moderate) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 37% of station-mapped location scores.
- 50°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 59/100
- comfort score, above 37% of station-mapped location scores
- 23.8"
- annual precipitation · 36" snow
- 159 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Ainsworth: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00250050 · Ainsworth, NE 50°F mean · 23.8" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 50°F
- RANK-MID #2,813
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Broken Bow
- PRCP-DRY 23.8"
- SWING-WIDE 49°F
- COMF-MID 59/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,275 HDD
- STN-1 USC00250050
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Broken Bow Muni, NE (+ 0 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NE station list.
- Ainsworth (this station) 50°F
- Cold Medicine Creek…, NE 50°F
- Hot Rock Island L&d, IL 50°F
- Near Broken Bow, NE 50°F
- Near Clinton, IA 50°F
Climate Living Index · Ainsworth
Ainsworth: 43/100 · grade D
Ainsworth publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Ainsworth, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 59/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 23.8 in · 11.2 from 35 in | 61/100 · C |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 154 calendar days | 44/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 50.2°F · 17.3° from 67.5°F | 41/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 159 days/year | 33/100 · F |
| Snowfall burden | 35.8 inches/year | 32/100 · F |
Ainsworth · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Ainsworth is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 26.0°F and warmest-month mean 75.3°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 75.3°F
- Coldest month
- 26.0°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Ainsworth sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Ainsworth's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 41st percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 33rd percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 79%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Ainsworth is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Ainsworth compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Ainsworth's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
59 37th percentile score exceeds 37% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). This entry sits in this band.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Ainsworth's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 93 complete annual observations from 1909 to 2024, AINSWORTH changed little at a fitted rate of 0.02°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Ainsworth primary station fitted change +0.02 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F (3°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 0.4" | 4.2" | 28.6 | 0.0 |
| February | 40°F (5°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.6" | 7.3" | 25.2 | 0.0 |
| March | 51°F (11°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 1.2" | 6.0" | 21.7 | 0.0 |
| April | 61°F (16°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 2.6" | 6.6" | 10.7 | 0.1 |
| May | 71°F (22°C) | 47°F (8°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 3.8" | 0.3" | 1.3 | 0.6 |
| June | 81°F (27°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 69°F (21°C) | 3.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 3.9 |
| July | 88°F (31°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 3.0" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 11.7 |
| August | 86°F (30°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 73°F (23°C) | 2.8" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 8.0 |
| September | 78°F (26°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 65°F (19°C) | 2.6" | 0.0" | 0.2 | 3.2 |
| October | 64°F (18°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 1.7" | 1.8" | 6.6 | 0.3 |
| November | 50°F (10°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.6" | 4.1" | 20.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 38°F (3°C) | 18°F (-8°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 0.6" | 5.5" | 28.8 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 89°F around July 21, short of 90°F on every date, while 154 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 15°F near January 11.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 3, then returns to freezing around November 2, covering 154 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 28, when 39% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is November 20 at 16%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 94 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 23 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 27°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Ainsworth.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 4.2"
5.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 7.3"
6.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.0"
6.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 6.6"
9.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.3"
11.9 days with precipitation
11.1 days with precipitation
9.8 days with precipitation
8.6 days with precipitation
6.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.8"
7.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.1"
4.8 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.5"
5.3 days with precipitation
Ainsworth runs a summer-peaked wet season
40% of Ainsworth's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is May at 3.8", on a wide 49.3°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: May, June, July, taking 45% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.4".
- Winter share: 7% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How Ainsworth's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 94 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 23.8" between them, or roughly 0.25 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Ainsworth
Ainsworth averages 35.8 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 18 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 35.8 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 18 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 15% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 8
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 2
50% probability date
Growing Season
159 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,275
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
923
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NE closest to Ainsworth on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (50°F here).
- Aurora, IL 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Bloomington, IL 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Boone, NC 50°F · 0.0°F off
- Buhl, ID 50°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (23.8" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Guthrie, TX 23.8" · 0.0" off
- Winters, CA 23.8" · 0.0" off
- Crested Butte, CO 23.8" · 0.0" off
- Cascade, ID 23.8" · 0.1" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Ainsworth
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Ainsworth's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,275 annual heating degree days against 923 for cooling. Its 49.3°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Ainsworth's frost-free season lasts about 159 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Ainsworth coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 26°F (-3°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Ainsworth typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Ainsworth snow peak
February
Ainsworth averages 35.8 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Ainsworth's climate
How much snow does Ainsworth get? ▼
How cold does Ainsworth get in winter? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Ainsworth? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Ainsworth's primary station: AINSWORTH (USC00250050). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3100415). Match rule for Ainsworth: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Ainsworth comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.