Imperial, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Imperial's normal year runs from 16°F January nights to 91°F July afternoons, with 17.5 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.7°C, January lows of −9°C, July highs of 33°C, 444 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationImperial Municipal Airport
- Station IDUSW00024091
- Location40.51°N 101.62°W
- Elevation3,268 ft (996 m)
- Population1,975
On October 22, the normal high in Imperial is 63°F and the normal low 34°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 Imperial.
- Jan 42° 16°
- Feb 45° 19°
- Mar 56° 26°
- Apr 63° 35°
- May 73° 46°
- Jun 85° 57°
- Jul 91° 62°
- Aug 88° 60°
- Sep 80° 50°
- Oct 66° 37°
- Nov 53° 25°
- Dec 43° 17°
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 Imperial each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 91°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 16°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.05 in), the least in December (0.23 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 42°F | 16°F | 28.9°F | 0.25 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 45°F | 19°F | 31.5°F | 0.36 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 56°F | 26°F | 40.9°F | 0.79 | 6 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 35°F | 48.8°F | 1.79 | 9 | <1 | 11 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 46°F | 59.4°F | 2.92 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 85°F | 57°F | 70.9°F | 3.05 | 10 | 11 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 91°F | 62°F | 76.5°F | 2.84 | 9 | 20 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 88°F | 60°F | 74.2°F | 2.16 | 9 | 15 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 80°F | 50°F | 65.3°F | 1.29 | 6 | 8 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 37°F | 51.3°F | 1.37 | 7 | 1 | 9 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 53°F | 25°F | 38.6°F | 0.42 | 4 | <1 | 25 | 10 h |
| December | 43°F | 17°F | 29.7°F | 0.23 | 2 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 37°F | 51.3°F | 17.47 | 81 | 58 | 159 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −9°C | −1.7°C | 6 mm |
| February | 7°C | −7°C | −0.3°C | 9 mm |
| March | 13°C | −3°C | 4.9°C | 20 mm |
| April | 17°C | 1°C | 9.3°C | 45 mm |
| May | 23°C | 8°C | 15.2°C | 74 mm |
| June | 30°C | 14°C | 21.6°C | 77 mm |
| July | 33°C | 17°C | 24.7°C | 72 mm |
| August | 31°C | 16°C | 23.4°C | 55 mm |
| September | 27°C | 10°C | 18.5°C | 33 mm |
| October | 19°C | 3°C | 10.7°C | 35 mm |
| November | 11°C | −4°C | 3.7°C | 11 mm |
| December | 6°C | −8°C | −1.3°C | 6 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. Imperial's own co-op station Imperial station does: 26 inches of snow in a normal year (see the other stations below).
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024091; 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 Imperial?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, 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 USW00024091.
When is the last frost in Imperial?
In Imperial, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 2 in half of years and after May 13 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 11 in half of years and before September 27 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 21 year in 10 after May 13; 9 in 10 after April 17
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 111 year in 10 before September 27; 9 in 10 before October 22
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 160 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 179 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 21 in half of springs and before October 19 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Imperial in zone 5b in ZIP code 69033, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Imperial's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −10°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 USW00024091; 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 Imperial?
In a normal year in Imperial, 58 days a year reach 90°F (11 of them 100°F or more), 159 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 81 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 58a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 11a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 159a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 27high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 81a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1951) is 111°F, on July 20, 2005; the lowest is −27°F, on February 15, 2021.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1965, with 27.37 in; the snowiest season is 1959–60, with 56.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00024091; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USW00024091. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Imperial?
Over a year 81% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Imperial, 4.7 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (88%) and April the cloudiest (76%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 2.4 |
| February | 76% | 3.3 |
| March | 77% | 4.5 |
| April | 76% | 5.5 |
| May | 77% | 6.3 |
| June | 85% | 7.2 |
| July | 88% | 7.1 |
| August | 87% | 6.2 |
| September | 85% | 5.1 |
| October | 80% | 3.7 |
| November | 80% | 2.6 |
| December | 76% | 2.1 |
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 Imperial need?
A normal year in Imperial brings 5,961 heating degree days, 11% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,015 cooling degree days, 12% 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 3,257 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,118 | 0 |
| February | 936 | 0 |
| March | 749 | 0 |
| April | 488 | 2 |
| May | 218 | 45 |
| June | 27 | 204 |
| July | 2 | 360 |
| August | 7 | 292 |
| September | 98 | 105 |
| October | 432 | 7 |
| November | 792 | 0 |
| December | 1,095 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,961 | 1,015 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024091. 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 Imperial been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 52.9°F, 1.6°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 51.3°F. 4 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 52.4°F | +1.1°F | 14.47 |
| 2022 | 51.5°F | +0.2°F | 10.88 |
| 2023 | 50.9°F | −0.4°F | 18.21 |
| 2024 | 53.6°F | +2.3°F | 17.11 |
| 2025 | 52.9°F | +1.6°F | 22.21 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00024091. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Imperial's climate compare?
Imperial is warmer than 110 of the other 136 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 51.3°F is warmer than 46%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Imperial 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.
Which places near Imperial share this climate record?
3 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.
- Wauneta, NE527 people · 15 mi SE
- Champion, NE13 people · 7 mi W
- Enders, NE0 people · 6 mi SE
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
What do Imperial's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Imperial. This page uses Imperial Municipal Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imperial station USC00254110 | 2 mi W | 3,294 ft | 50.1°F | 12°F | 91°F | 19.8 | 26 | May 7 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Imperial's climate
What is the coldest month in Imperial?
January, with a normal high of 42°F and a normal low of 16°F. The warmest is July (91°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow in Imperial?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Imperial's NOAA station; Imperial's own co-op station Imperial station records 26 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in Imperial?
June, with 3.05 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is December with 0.23 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Imperial in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Imperial in zone 5b in ZIP code 69033, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Imperial's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −10°F (20 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Imperial?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 2; in one year in ten it comes after May 13. Waiting until May 13 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Madrid, NE24 miles from this station, 49.8°F a year
- Hayes Center, NE31 miles from this station, 50.2°F a year
- Benkelman, NE31 miles from this station, 52.3°F a year
- Wallace, NE32 miles from this station, 49.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made