Benkelman, NE Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Benkelman's primary NOAA station, BENKELMAN 1N.
The climate verdict for Benkelman
Dryness leads the climate profile for Benkelman, Nebraska, with 19.7 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 52°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 52°F
- yearly average temperature, NOAA normal
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 19.7"
- annual precipitation · 28" snow
- 165 days
- growing season, frost-free days
Benkelman: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00250760 · Benkelman, NE 52°F mean · 19.7" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 52°F
- RANK-MID #3,431
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Rantoul
- PRCP-DRY 19.7"
- SWING-WIDE 49°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 5,738 HDD
- STN-1 USC00250760
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Rantoul, IL (+ 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.
- Benkelman (this station) 52°F
- Cold McCook, NE 52°F
- Hot Hill City, KS 52°F
- Near Rantoul, IL 52°F
- Near Cosby, MO 52°F
Climate Living Index · Benkelman
Benkelman: 37/100 · grade F
Benkelman publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Benkelman, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 52.3°F · 15.2° from 67.5°F | 50/100 · D |
| Precipitation balance | 19.7 in · 15.3 from 35 in | 46/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 27.6 inches/year | 41/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 165 days/year | 38/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 198 calendar days | 15/100 · F |
Benkelman · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Benkelman's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 77.7°F
- Coldest month
- 29.2°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 Benkelman sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Benkelman's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 50th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 73%
- Benkelman's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 75%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Benkelman is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Benkelman compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Benkelman's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 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
Benkelman's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 68 complete annual observations from 1927 to 2022, BENKELMAN 1N warmed at a fitted rate of 0.13°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Benkelman primary station fitted change +0.13 °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 | 43°F (6°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.5" | 5.6" | 30.8 | 0.0 |
| February | 46°F (8°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 0.6" | 5.9" | 27.1 | 0.0 |
| March | 57°F (14°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 1.0" | 4.0" | 23.8 | 0.0 |
| April | 65°F (18°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 2.0" | 2.5" | 11.1 | 0.5 |
| May | 74°F (23°C) | 47°F (9°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 3.1" | 0.1" | 1.5 | 3.2 |
| June | 86°F (30°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 2.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 12.3 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 78°F (25°C) | 3.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 20.2 |
| August | 89°F (32°C) | 62°F (16°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 2.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 17.2 |
| September | 81°F (27°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.4" | 0.2" | 0.4 | 8.4 |
| October | 68°F (20°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 1.5" | 1.9" | 9.3 | 1.4 |
| November | 54°F (12°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 40°F (4°C) | 0.6" | 2.6" | 25.0 | 0.0 |
| December | 44°F (6°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 0.6" | 4.8" | 30.7 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Benkelman works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 92°F by July 15 and hold at or above 90°F on 42 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 156 dates, bottoming at 15°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 30 through August 10, covering 42 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 7 to October 11.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 31, then returns to freezing around October 28, covering 156 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 29, when 34% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is December 2 at 13%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 81 wet dates a year.
The widest day
October 11 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 31°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Benkelman.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 5.6"
4.3 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.9"
5.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.0"
5.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.5"
8.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
10.0 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
9.4 days with precipitation
8.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.2"
5.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.9"
6.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.6"
4.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.8"
4.0 days with precipitation
Benkelman runs a summer-peaked wet season
43% of Benkelman'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 July at 3.1", on a wide 48.5°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: July, May, June, taking 46% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.5".
- Winter share: 8% 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 Benkelman's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 81 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 19.7" between them, or roughly 0.24 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 Benkelman
Benkelman averages 27.6 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 19 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: 27.6 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 19 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 14% 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 12
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
April 30
50% probability date
Growing Season
165 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,738
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,156
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NE closest to Benkelman 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 (52°F here).
- Albany, MO 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Avondale, PA 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Bremerton, WA 52°F · 0.0°F off
- Bucyrus, OH 52°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (19.7" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Amarillo, TX 19.7" · 0.0" off
- Minnewaukan, ND 19.7" · 0.0" off
- Ashton, ID 19.7" · 0.0" off
- Pierre, SD 19.6" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Benkelman
heating led · dry · mid swing
Benkelman's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,738 annual heating degree days against 1,156 for cooling. Its 48.5°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Benkelman's frost-free season lasts about 165 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Benkelman coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 29°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Benkelman typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Benkelman snow peak
February
Benkelman averages 27.6 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Benkelman's climate
How much snow does Benkelman get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Benkelman get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Benkelman? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Benkelman's primary station: BENKELMAN 1N (USC00250760). 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 3104230). Match rule for Benkelman: 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 Benkelman 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.