Burwell, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Burwell's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 25.9 inches of precipitation and 29 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.2°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 30°C, 657 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBurwell
- Station IDUSC00251345
- Location41.78°N 99.14°W
- Elevation2,176 ft (663 m)
- Population1,019
On October 23, the normal high in Burwell is 59°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 17%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Burwell.
- Jan 34° 12°
- Feb 38° 16°
- Mar 50° 25°
- Apr 60° 35°
- May 70° 47°
- Jun 80° 58°
- Jul 86° 63°
- Aug 84° 60°
- Sep 77° 51°
- Oct 63° 37°
- Nov 48° 24°
- Dec 36° 15°
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 Burwell each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in May (4.04 in), the least in January (0.51 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 34°F | 12°F | 23.2°F | 0.51 | 5.8 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 38°F | 16°F | 26.8°F | 0.68 | 6.3 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 50°F | 25°F | 37.3°F | 1.38 | 3.6 | 6 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 60°F | 35°F | 47.4°F | 3.05 | 3.5 | 9 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 47°F | 58.4°F | 4.04 | 0.2 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 80°F | 58°F | 69.2°F | 3.74 | 0.0 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 86°F | 63°F | 74.6°F | 3.31 | 0.0 | 8 | 11 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 84°F | 60°F | 72.0°F | 3.29 | 0.0 | 8 | 8 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 77°F | 51°F | 63.6°F | 2.14 | 0.0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 37°F | 49.6°F | 2.13 | 1.5 | 6 | <1 | 10 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 24°F | 36.0°F | 0.87 | 2.3 | 4 | <1 | 26 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 15°F | 25.6°F | 0.71 | 6.0 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 37°F | 48.6°F | 25.85 | 29.2 | 78 | 28 | 162 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 1°C | −11°C | −4.9°C | 13 mm | 15 cm |
| February | 3°C | −9°C | −2.9°C | 17 mm | 16 cm |
| March | 10°C | −4°C | 2.9°C | 35 mm | 9 cm |
| April | 16°C | 2°C | 8.6°C | 77 mm | 9 cm |
| May | 21°C | 8°C | 14.7°C | 103 mm | 1 cm |
| June | 27°C | 14°C | 20.7°C | 95 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 17°C | 23.7°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 16°C | 22.2°C | 84 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C | 54 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 17°C | 3°C | 9.8°C | 54 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 9°C | −5°C | 2.2°C | 22 mm | 6 cm |
| December | 2°C | −9°C | −3.6°C | 18 mm | 15 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00251345; 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 Burwell?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August and September. 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 USC00251345.
When is the last frost in Burwell?
In Burwell, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 4 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 in half of years and before September 24 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 41 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 21
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 24; 9 in 10 before October 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 154 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 172 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 24 in half of springs and before October 15 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Burwell in zone 5a in ZIP code 68837, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Burwell's NOAA station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (20 complete years).
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Nebraska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USC00251345; USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; the station zone: ACIS daily lows, 1991-2020. 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 Burwell?
In a normal year in Burwell, 28 days a year reach 90°F (2 of them 100°F or more), 162 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 78 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 28a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 162a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 41high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 78a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 10a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1948) is 114°F, on July 11, 1954; the lowest is −34°F, on January 27, 1963.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2007, with 36.69 in; the snowiest season is 1983–84, with 67.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00251345; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00251345. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Burwell?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Burwell, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and March the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.2 |
| February | 76% | 3.1 |
| March | 73% | 4.1 |
| April | 73% | 5.3 |
| May | 74% | 6.0 |
| June | 83% | 6.9 |
| July | 86% | 6.9 |
| August | 84% | 5.9 |
| September | 82% | 4.8 |
| October | 78% | 3.4 |
| November | 78% | 2.4 |
| December | 75% | 1.9 |
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 Burwell need?
A normal year in Burwell brings 6,753 heating degree days, 26% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 826 cooling degree days, 9% 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 2,953 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,296 | 0 |
| February | 1,070 | 0 |
| March | 858 | 0 |
| April | 531 | 3 |
| May | 239 | 36 |
| June | 39 | 165 |
| July | 5 | 302 |
| August | 13 | 232 |
| September | 127 | 83 |
| October | 484 | 5 |
| November | 870 | 0 |
| December | 1,223 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,753 | 826 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00251345. 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.
Has Burwell been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 48.6°F, equal to the 1991-2020 normal of 48.6°F.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 48.6°F | at normal | 33.49 | 20.1 |
Over 50 complete years from 1949 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 3.5°F per century (+0.19°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00251345; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Burwell's climate compare?
Burwell is warmer than 38 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 55. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 48.6°F is warmer than 34%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Burwell is Dfa: continental, no dry season, hot summer. 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 Burwell's climate
What is the coldest month in Burwell?
January, with a normal high of 34°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Burwell?
Yes: 29 inches in a normal year, falling on 15 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (6.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Burwell?
May, with 4.04 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.51 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Burwell in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Burwell in zone 5a in ZIP code 68837, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Burwell's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −17°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come in Burwell?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 4; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Taylor, NE12 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Ord, NE14 miles from this station, 49.0°F a year
- Comstock, NE16 miles from this station, 48.6°F a year
- Ericson, NE17 miles from this station, 47.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made