Big Springs, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Big Springs's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 17.6 inches of precipitation and 28 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.8°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 32°C, 446 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBig Springs
- Station IDUSC00250865
- Location41.07°N 102.07°W
- Elevation3,379 ft (1,030 m)
- Population405
On October 23, the normal high in Big Springs is 64°F and the normal low 30°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 15%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Big Springs.
- Jan 42° 12°
- Feb 45° 16°
- Mar 55° 24°
- Apr 63° 32°
- May 72° 43°
- Jun 84° 54°
- Jul 90° 60°
- Aug 88° 57°
- Sep 80° 47°
- Oct 67° 33°
- Nov 54° 21°
- Dec 43° 13°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in Big Springs each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (2.83 in), the least in January (0.31 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F | 12°F | 27.1°F | 0.31 | 4.0 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 45°F | 16°F | 30.2°F | 0.42 | 7.0 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 55°F | 24°F | 39.5°F | 0.88 | 3.9 | 5 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 32°F | 47.4°F | 2.04 | 3.5 | 7 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 72°F | 43°F | 57.6°F | 2.52 | 0.2 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 84°F | 54°F | 68.9°F | 2.83 | 0.0 | 9 | 8 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 90°F | 60°F | 74.6°F | 2.72 | 0.0 | 8 | 16 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 88°F | 57°F | 72.4°F | 2.16 | 0.0 | 8 | 13 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 80°F | 47°F | 63.4°F | 1.58 | 0.0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 67°F | 33°F | 50.0°F | 1.25 | 1.6 | 6 | 1 | 13 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 54°F | 21°F | 37.4°F | 0.48 | 2.1 | 3 | <1 | 27 | 10 h |
| December | 43°F | 13°F | 27.8°F | 0.37 | 5.4 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 34°F | 49.7°F | 17.56 | 27.7 | 68 | 45 | 170 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −11°C | −2.7°C | 8 mm | 10 cm |
| February | 7°C | −9°C | −1.0°C | 11 mm | 18 cm |
| March | 13°C | −5°C | 4.2°C | 22 mm | 10 cm |
| April | 17°C | 0°C | 8.6°C | 52 mm | 9 cm |
| May | 22°C | 6°C | 14.2°C | 64 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 29°C | 12°C | 20.5°C | 72 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 15°C | 23.7°C | 69 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 14°C | 22.4°C | 55 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 8°C | 17.4°C | 40 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 19°C | 1°C | 10.0°C | 32 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 12°C | −6°C | 3.0°C | 12 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 6°C | −10°C | −2.3°C | 9 mm | 14 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00250865; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit Big Springs?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (6).
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00250865.
When is the last frost in Big Springs?
In Big Springs, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 10 in half of years and after May 22 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 3 in half of years and before September 20 in one year in ten.
Frost-free in half of yearsFrost in 1 to 9 years out of 10Frost most years
- Last spring frost, half of years after
- May 101 year in 10 after May 22; 9 in 10 after April 29
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 31 year in 10 before September 20; 9 in 10 before October 15
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 146 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 164 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 1 in half of springs and before October 11 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Big Springs in zone 5b in ZIP code 69122, the nearest ZIP area.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Nebraska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00250865; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026. A 10% date means one year in ten has a frost after it in spring or before it in autumn.
How hot and how cold does it get in Big Springs?
In a normal year in Big Springs, 45 days a year reach 90°F (6 of them 100°F or more), 170 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 68 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 45a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 6a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 170a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 28high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 68a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 8a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00250865.
How sunny is Big Springs?
Over a year 81% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Big Springs, 4.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and April the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 80% | 2.4 |
| February | 77% | 3.3 |
| March | 76% | 4.4 |
| April | 75% | 5.5 |
| May | 76% | 6.3 |
| June | 85% | 7.3 |
| July | 87% | 7.2 |
| August | 86% | 6.3 |
| September | 85% | 5.1 |
| October | 79% | 3.6 |
| November | 80% | 2.6 |
| December | 78% | 2.0 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does Big Springs need?
A normal year in Big Springs brings 6,358 heating degree days, 18% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 809 cooling degree days, 11% fewer than the median (908). Seven months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 2,930 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,173 | 0 |
| February | 973 | 0 |
| March | 792 | 0 |
| April | 529 | 1 |
| May | 259 | 29 |
| June | 41 | 158 |
| July | 5 | 301 |
| August | 13 | 241 |
| September | 121 | 75 |
| October | 470 | 4 |
| November | 828 | 0 |
| December | 1,153 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,358 | 809 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00250865. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
How does Big Springs's climate compare?
Big Springs is warmer than 62 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 11. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.7°F is warmer than 39%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Big Springs is BSk: cold semi-arid steppe. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Questions about Big Springs's climate
What is the coldest month in Big Springs?
January, with a normal high of 42°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 60°F at night).
Does it snow in Big Springs?
Yes: 28 inches in a normal year, falling on 11 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (7.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Big Springs?
June, with 2.83 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.31 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Big Springs in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Big Springs in zone 5b in ZIP code 69122, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Big Springs?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 10; in one year in ten it comes after May 22. Waiting until May 22 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Julesburg, CO11 miles from this station, 50.0°F a year
- Ogallala, NE19 miles from this station, 50.6°F a year
- Chappell, NE21 miles from this station, 48.6°F a year
- Kingsley Dam, NE23 miles from this station, 50.0°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made