Bushnell (15 mi S), Nebraska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Bushnell (15 mi S)'s normal year runs from 11°F December nights to 84°F July afternoons, with 16.7 inches of precipitation and 52 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 6.7°C, December lows of −12°C, July highs of 29°C, 424 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationBushnell (15 mi S)
- Station IDUSC00251361
- Location41.01°N 103.88°W
- Elevation5,170 ft (1,576 m)
On October 22, the normal high in Bushnell (15 mi S) is 57°F and the normal low 26°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 18%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Bushnell (15 mi S).
- Jan 38° 11°
- Feb 39° 12°
- Mar 49° 19°
- Apr 56° 26°
- May 65° 36°
- Jun 77° 45°
- Jul 84° 51°
- Aug 83° 50°
- Sep 74° 41°
- Oct 60° 28°
- Nov 47° 18°
- Dec 38° 11°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like at Bushnell (15 mi S) each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 84°F; December the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in May (2.68 in), the least in January (0.26 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 38°F | 11°F | 24.8°F | 0.26 | 4.1 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 39°F | 12°F | 25.7°F | 0.39 | 8.7 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 49°F | 19°F | 33.9°F | 0.88 | 8.7 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 56°F | 26°F | 40.8°F | 1.69 | 8.2 | 9 | <1 | 23 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 65°F | 36°F | 50.4°F | 2.68 | 2.7 | 12 | <1 | 9 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 77°F | 45°F | 60.9°F | 2.52 | 0.0 | 10 | 4 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 84°F | 51°F | 67.8°F | 2.49 | 0.0 | 10 | 12 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 83°F | 50°F | 66.2°F | 2.22 | 0.0 | 8 | 7 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 74°F | 41°F | 57.7°F | 1.39 | 0.2 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 60°F | 28°F | 43.9°F | 1.20 | 3.9 | 6 | <1 | 19 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 47°F | 18°F | 32.6°F | 0.52 | 6.3 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h |
| December | 38°F | 11°F | 24.4°F | 0.46 | 8.8 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 59°F | 29°F | 44.1°F | 16.70 | 51.6 | 86 | 24 | 202 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −12°C | −4.0°C | 7 mm | 10 cm |
| February | 4°C | −11°C | −3.5°C | 10 mm | 22 cm |
| March | 9°C | −7°C | 1.1°C | 22 mm | 22 cm |
| April | 13°C | −3°C | 4.9°C | 43 mm | 21 cm |
| May | 18°C | 2°C | 10.2°C | 68 mm | 7 cm |
| June | 25°C | 7°C | 16.1°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 29°C | 11°C | 19.9°C | 63 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 28°C | 10°C | 19.0°C | 56 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 24°C | 5°C | 14.3°C | 35 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 15°C | −2°C | 6.6°C | 30 mm | 10 cm |
| November | 8°C | −8°C | 0.3°C | 13 mm | 16 cm |
| December | 3°C | −12°C | −4.2°C | 12 mm | 22 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00251361; 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.
Which months are mildest at Bushnell (15 mi S)?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USC00251361.
When is the last frost at Bushnell (15 mi S)?
In Bushnell (15 mi S), the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 25 in half of years and after June 9 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 21 in half of years and before September 6 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 251 year in 10 after June 9; 9 in 10 after May 11
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 211 year in 10 before September 6; 9 in 10 before October 2
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 118 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 138 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 13 in half of springs and before September 30 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Bushnell (15 mi S) in zone 5a in ZIP code 69128, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, the station is in zone 5a: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (16 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 USC00251361; 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 at Bushnell (15 mi S)?
In a normal year in Bushnell (15 mi S), 24 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 202 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 86 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 24a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 202a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 37high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 86a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 16a normal year
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00251361.
How sunny is it at Bushnell (15 mi S)?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Bushnell (15 mi S), 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. August is the sunniest month (86%) and April the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.4 |
| February | 75% | 3.2 |
| March | 76% | 4.4 |
| April | 73% | 5.4 |
| May | 75% | 6.3 |
| June | 84% | 7.3 |
| July | 86% | 7.1 |
| August | 86% | 6.3 |
| September | 85% | 5.1 |
| October | 79% | 3.6 |
| November | 79% | 2.5 |
| December | 75% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Bushnell (15 mi S) record?
A normal year at Bushnell (15 mi S) brings 7,867 heating degree days, 46% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 262 cooling degree days, 71% fewer than the median (908). Eight months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 1,828 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,248 | 0 |
| February | 1,102 | 0 |
| March | 966 | 0 |
| April | 726 | 0 |
| May | 457 | 3 |
| June | 157 | 34 |
| July | 34 | 119 |
| August | 52 | 88 |
| September | 238 | 18 |
| October | 656 | 0 |
| November | 972 | 0 |
| December | 1,260 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,867 | 262 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00251361. 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.
Have recent years at Bushnell (15 mi S) been warmer than normal?
2025 averaged 45.9°F, 1.8°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 44.1°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 45.0°F | +0.9°F | 10.67 | 39.8 |
| 2022 | 44.2°F | +0.1°F | 10.41 | 63.5 |
| 2023 | 44.0°F | −0.1°F | 22.37 | 50.7 |
| 2024 | 46.9°F | +2.8°F | 12.24 | 33.4 |
| 2025 | 45.9°F | +1.8°F | 19.33 | 19.6 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00251361. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Bushnell (15 mi S)'s climate compare?
Bushnell (15 mi S) is warmer than 0 of the 137 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 7. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 44.1°F is warmer than 16%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Bushnell (15 mi S) is Dwb: continental, dry-winter, warm 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 Bushnell (15 mi S)'s climate
What is the coldest month at Bushnell (15 mi S)?
December, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (84°F by day, 51°F at night).
Does it snow at Bushnell (15 mi S)?
Yes: 52 inches in a normal year, falling on 31 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in December (8.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Bushnell (15 mi S)?
May, with 2.68 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.26 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Bushnell (15 mi S) in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Bushnell (15 mi S) in zone 5a in ZIP code 69128, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −19°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 5a.
How late can frost come at Bushnell (15 mi S)?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 25; in one year in ten it comes after June 9. Waiting until June 9 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Pine Bluffs, WY15 miles from this station, 48.2°F a year
- Kimball, NE21 miles from this station, 46.7°F a year
- Carpenter, WY27 miles from this station, 46.9°F a year
- New Raymer, CO28 miles from this station, 48.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made