Grand Island, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Grand Island's normal year runs from 16°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 26.6 inches of precipitation and 28 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.0°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 31°C, 676 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationGrand Island Central NE Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00014935
- Location40.96°N 98.31°W
- Elevation1,840 ft (561 m)
- Population53,250
On October 23, the normal high in Grand Island is 62°F and the normal low 38°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 19%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Grand Island.
- Jan 36° 16°
- Feb 40° 19°
- Mar 53° 29°
- Apr 63° 39°
- May 73° 51°
- Jun 84° 61°
- Jul 88° 66°
- Aug 86° 64°
- Sep 79° 54°
- Oct 66° 41°
- Nov 51° 28°
- Dec 39° 19°
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 Grand Island each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in May (4.70 in), the least in January (0.61 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 16°F | 25.9°F | 0.61 | 6.8 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 40°F | 19°F | 29.7°F | 0.74 | 7.3 | 6 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 53°F | 29°F | 40.7°F | 1.39 | 3.8 | 7 | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 39°F | 51.0°F | 2.52 | 1.6 | 9 | <1 | 8 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 73°F | 51°F | 62.0°F | 4.70 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 84°F | 61°F | 72.8°F | 4.01 | 0.0 | 10 | 8 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 88°F | 66°F | 77.0°F | 3.51 | 0.0 | 9 | 13 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 86°F | 64°F | 74.6°F | 3.20 | 0.0 | 9 | 8 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 79°F | 54°F | 66.6°F | 2.00 | 0.1 | 7 | 4 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 41°F | 53.1°F | 1.99 | 1.1 | 7 | 1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 28°F | 39.6°F | 1.10 | 2.3 | 5 | <1 | 22 | 10 h |
| December | 39°F | 19°F | 28.9°F | 0.84 | 4.7 | 5 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 40°F | 51.8°F | 26.61 | 27.7 | 90 | 36 | 145 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −9°C | −3.4°C | 15 mm | 17 cm |
| February | 5°C | −7°C | −1.3°C | 19 mm | 19 cm |
| March | 11°C | −2°C | 4.8°C | 35 mm | 10 cm |
| April | 17°C | 4°C | 10.6°C | 64 mm | 4 cm |
| May | 23°C | 10°C | 16.7°C | 119 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 16°C | 22.7°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 19°C | 25.0°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 18°C | 23.7°C | 81 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 12°C | 19.2°C | 51 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 19°C | 5°C | 11.7°C | 51 mm | 3 cm |
| November | 11°C | −2°C | 4.2°C | 28 mm | 6 cm |
| December | 4°C | −7°C | −1.7°C | 21 mm | 12 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014935; 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 Grand Island?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, October 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 USW00014935.
When is the last frost in Grand Island?
In Grand Island, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 23 in half of years and after May 6 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 15 in half of years and before September 29 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
- April 231 year in 10 after May 6; 9 in 10 after April 9
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 151 year in 10 before September 29; 9 in 10 before October 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 174 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 193 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 12 in half of springs and before October 23 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Grand Island in zone 5b across its 2 ZIP code areas (5b in 68801, the largest). By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Grand Island's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −12°F (30 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 USW00014935; 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.
What hardiness zone is each Grand Island ZIP code in?
The USDA's 2023 map gives each ZIP code area one zone. Grand Island's 2 ZIP code areas are all in zone 5b. Each ZIP's frost dates are in the frost tool.
Source: USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map, ZIP listings: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed October 8, 2026; ZIP areas in the place: Census Bureau 2020 ZCTA-to-place relationship file. A ZIP area counts when at least a tenth of its land (and 0.5 km²) lies in the place.
How hot and how cold does it get in Grand Island?
In a normal year in Grand Island, 36 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 145 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 90 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 36a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 145a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 40high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 90a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 9a normal year
The highest temperature in Grand Island's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1895) is 117°F, on July 24, 1936; the lowest is −34°F, on February 12, 1899.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2019, with 39.71 in; the snowiest season is 1914–15, with 86.7 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014935; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record GRIthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Grand Island, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 62°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 64°F; the driest air comes in December (17°F). March is the windiest month (13.2 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (78%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°F | 71% | 55% | 11.1 mph | 62% | 28% |
| February | 21°F | 66% | 47% | 12.1 mph | 61% | 30% |
| March | 32°F | 62% | 41% | 13.2 mph | 60% | 29% |
| April | 42°F | 62% | 42% | 12.6 mph | 59% | 28% |
| May | 54°F | 66% | 46% | 10.8 mph | 64% | 21% |
| June | 62°F | 66% | 47% | 10.0 mph | 77% | 9% |
| July | 64°F | 71% | 52% | 8.6 mph | 75% | 11% |
| August | 60°F | 69% | 47% | 9.4 mph | 78% | 11% |
| September | 45°F | 62% | 38% | 10.6 mph | 76% | 15% |
| October | 32°F | 62% | 40% | 11.3 mph | 70% | 23% |
| November | 22°F | 68% | 49% | 11.2 mph | 70% | 23% |
| December | 17°F | 73% | 57% | 11.1 mph | 64% | 29% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014935. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Grand Island?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Grand Island, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (86%) and February the cloudiest (73%). Among the 459 U.S. places of 50,000 or more, that ranks tied 176th (with 33 others) in sunshine.
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.3 |
| February | 73% | 3.1 |
| March | 73% | 4.2 |
| April | 74% | 5.3 |
| May | 75% | 6.1 |
| June | 84% | 6.9 |
| July | 86% | 6.8 |
| August | 84% | 5.9 |
| September | 82% | 4.8 |
| October | 78% | 3.5 |
| November | 78% | 2.5 |
| December | 73% | 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 Grand Island need?
A normal year in Grand Island brings 5,923 heating degree days, 10% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,153 cooling degree days, 27% more 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 3,550 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,214 | 0 |
| February | 987 | 0 |
| March | 754 | 1 |
| April | 431 | 10 |
| May | 167 | 72 |
| June | 17 | 249 |
| July | 1 | 372 |
| August | 4 | 304 |
| September | 83 | 131 |
| October | 384 | 15 |
| November | 762 | 0 |
| December | 1,119 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,923 | 1,153 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014935. 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 Grand Island been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 52.5°F, 0.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 51.8°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53.4°F | +1.6°F | 28.59 | 28.6 |
| 2022 | 52.5°F | +0.7°F | 15.20 | 11.9 |
| 2023 | 53.4°F | +1.6°F | 16.52 | 29.5 |
| 2024 | 53.7°F | +1.9°F | 28.45 | 22.6 |
| 2025 | 52.5°F | +0.7°F | 24.77 | 24.1 |
Over 86 complete years from 1939 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 1.6°F per century (+0.09°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014935; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Grand Island's climate compare?
Grand Island is warmer than 122 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 65. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.8°F is warmer than 49%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Grand Island 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.
Which places near Grand Island share this climate record?
5 places have no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of their own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Cairo, NE810 people · 15 mi W
- Alda, NE648 people · 10 mi SW
- Phillips, NE329 people · 7 mi SE
- St. Libory, NE311 people · 9 mi N
- Chapman, NE264 people · 9 mi NE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about Grand Island's climate
What is the coldest month in Grand Island?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow in Grand Island?
Yes: 28 inches in a normal year, falling on 18 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (7.3 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Grand Island?
May, with 4.70 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.61 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Grand Island in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Grand Island in zone 5b across its 2 ZIP code areas (5b in 68801, the largest). By the same method at Grand Island's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −12°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Grand Island?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 23; in one year in ten it comes after May 6. Waiting until May 6 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Grand Island in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Aurora, NE18 miles from this station, 51.3°F a year
- Central City, NE19 miles from this station, 50.3°F a year
- St. Paul, NE19 miles from this station, 51.7°F a year
- Hastings, NE25 miles from this station, 51.9°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made