Hay Springs, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Hay Springs's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 17.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.2°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 30°C, 444 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationHay Springs
- Station IDUSC00253710
- Location42.68°N 102.69°W
- Elevation3,855 ft (1,175 m)
- Population572
On October 23, the normal high in Hay Springs is 59°F and the normal low 29°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 14%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Hay Springs.
- Jan 37° 12°
- Feb 40° 14°
- Mar 51° 23°
- Apr 57° 31°
- May 68° 41°
- Jun 77° 52°
- Jul 86° 58°
- Aug 84° 56°
- Sep 76° 45°
- Oct 63° 32°
- Nov 48° 20°
- Dec 39° 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 Hay Springs 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 June (2.99 in), the least in January (0.46 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 12°F | 24.4°F | 0.46 | 4 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 40°F | 14°F | 27.3°F | 0.48 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 51°F | 23°F | 36.5°F | 0.85 | 6 | <1 | 28 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 57°F | 31°F | 43.9°F | 1.91 | 8 | <1 | 17 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 68°F | 41°F | 54.4°F | 2.94 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 77°F | 52°F | 64.6°F | 2.99 | 11 | 2 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 86°F | 58°F | 71.9°F | 2.13 | 8 | 10 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 84°F | 56°F | 69.9°F | 1.86 | 6 | 8 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 76°F | 45°F | 60.5°F | 1.43 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 32°F | 47.3°F | 1.26 | 5 | <1 | 14 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 20°F | 34.3°F | 0.58 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 39°F | 13°F | 25.9°F | 0.60 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 60°F | 33°F | 46.7°F | 17.49 | 74 | 25 | 183 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −11°C | −4.2°C | 12 mm |
| February | 5°C | −10°C | −2.6°C | 12 mm |
| March | 10°C | −5°C | 2.5°C | 22 mm |
| April | 14°C | −1°C | 6.6°C | 49 mm |
| May | 20°C | 5°C | 12.4°C | 75 mm |
| June | 25°C | 11°C | 18.1°C | 76 mm |
| July | 30°C | 14°C | 22.2°C | 54 mm |
| August | 29°C | 13°C | 21.1°C | 47 mm |
| September | 24°C | 7°C | 15.8°C | 36 mm |
| October | 17°C | 0°C | 8.5°C | 32 mm |
| November | 9°C | −6°C | 1.3°C | 15 mm |
| December | 4°C | −10°C | −3.4°C | 15 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Chadron (3 mi SW) (20 miles away), gets 50 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00253710; 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 Hay Springs?
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 USC00253710.
When is the last frost in Hay Springs?
In Hay Springs, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 14 in half of years and after May 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 30 in half of years and before September 15 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 141 year in 10 after May 27; 9 in 10 after May 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 301 year in 10 before September 15; 9 in 10 before October 11
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 138 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 156 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 3 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Hay Springs in zone 5a in ZIP code 69347, 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 USC00253710; 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 Hay Springs?
In a normal year in Hay Springs, 25 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 183 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 74 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 25a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 183a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 39high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 74a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1893) is 110°F, on July 29, 1946; the lowest is −41°F, on February 11, 1899.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1926, with 33.00 in; the snowiest season is 1926–27, with 96.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00253710; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00253710. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Hay Springs?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Hay Springs, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (88%) and April the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76% | 2.1 |
| February | 74% | 3.0 |
| March | 74% | 4.2 |
| April | 72% | 5.3 |
| May | 75% | 6.2 |
| June | 84% | 7.2 |
| July | 88% | 7.2 |
| August | 86% | 6.2 |
| September | 84% | 5.0 |
| 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 Hay Springs need?
A normal year in Hay Springs brings 7,172 heating degree days, 33% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 548 cooling degree days, 40% 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 2,414 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,259 | 0 |
| February | 1,057 | 0 |
| March | 884 | 0 |
| April | 632 | 0 |
| May | 340 | 11 |
| June | 96 | 84 |
| July | 16 | 228 |
| August | 25 | 177 |
| September | 182 | 47 |
| October | 550 | 2 |
| November | 922 | 0 |
| December | 1,210 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 7,172 | 548 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00253710. 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 Hay Springs's climate compare?
Hay Springs is warmer than 5 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 8. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 46.7°F is warmer than 26%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Hay Springs 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.
What do Hay Springs's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Hay Springs. This page uses Hay Springs; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hay Springs (12 mi S) USC00253715 | 12 mi S | 3,805 ft | 47.2°F | 11°F | 88°F | – | – | May 15 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Hay Springs's climate
What is the coldest month in Hay Springs?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Hay Springs?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Hay Springs's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Chadron (3 mi SW) (20 miles away), records 50 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Hay Springs?
June, with 2.99 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.46 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Hay Springs in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Hay Springs in zone 5a in ZIP code 69347, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Hay Springs?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 14; in one year in ten it comes after May 27. Waiting until May 27 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Rushville, NE12 miles from this station, 46.5°F a year
- Chadron, NE23 miles from this station, 48.3°F a year
- Pine Ridge, SD25 miles from this station, 47.8°F a year
- Gordon, NE29 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made