McCook, NE Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Explore NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 climate normals → and a clearly labeled PlainClimate comfort calculation
- At national median · Avg annual temp
- 52°FAnnual mean temperature: 52.2°F. National station-mapped location corpus median: 52.2°F across 6,861 measured records.
- At score median · Comfort score
- 64/100PlainClimate Comfort Score: 64/100. National station-mapped Comfort Score corpus median: 64/100 across 6,189 measured records.
- Drier than median · Annual precip
- 20.1"Annual precipitation: 20.1 inches. National station-mapped location corpus median: 36.2 inches across 6,352 measured records.
- Shorter than median · Growing season
- 161dFrost-free growing season: 161 days. National station-mapped location corpus median: 180 days across 6,446 measured records.
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from McCook's primary NOAA station, MCCOOK MUNI AP - 2 stations mapped to the area.
The climate verdict for McCook
McCook, Nebraska has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 52°F. Its climate comfort score of 64/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 49% of station-mapped location scores.
- 52°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 64/100
- comfort score, above 49% of station-mapped location scores
- 20.1"
- annual precipitation
- 161 days
- frost-free growing season
Based on NOAA U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020) - 30-year averages describing the typical year, not a forecast.
Avg Temperature
52°F (11°C)Annual mean temperature: 52.2°F. National station-mapped location corpus median: 52.2°F across 6,861 measured records.
At national median
Avg High
66°FAnnual average daily high: 66.0°F. National station-mapped location corpus median: 63.8°F across 6,861 measured records.
Warmer than median
Avg Low
38°FAnnual average daily low: 38.4°F. National station-mapped location corpus median: 41.1°F across 6,861 measured records.
Cooler than median
Annual Precip
20.1"Annual precipitation: 20.1 inches. National station-mapped location corpus median: 36.2 inches across 6,352 measured records.
Drier than median
Comfort Score
64/100PlainClimate Comfort Score: 64/100. National station-mapped Comfort Score corpus median: 64/100 across 6,189 measured records.
At score median · Good
Climate Living Index · model supports three NOAA data products
McCook's broader climate profile: 37/100
A percentile-benchmarked model across annual, daily, and hourly climate normals. This record uses 2 measured NOAA products; every input remains inspectable.
PlainClimate-derived, not an official NOAA rating. This separate index does not replace the established Comfort Score used in rankings, and it is not a verdict on safety, health, housing, culture, or overall quality of life.
-
Annual temperature balance
52.2°F · 15.3° from 67.5°F
50/100 D · weight 25%Distance from a 67.5°F annual mean; smaller is better.
NOAA annual/seasonal normals ·
ANN-TAVG-NORMAL -
Precipitation balance
20.1 in · 14.9 from 35 in
47/100 D · weight 15%Distance from 35 annual inches; smaller is better.
NOAA annual/seasonal normals ·
ANN-PRCP-NORMAL -
Snowfall burden
Not measured
N/A N/A · weight 10%Not scored; its 10% weight redistributes across measured dimensions.
Annual snowfall; lower is better in this formula.
NOAA annual/seasonal normals ·
ANN-SNOW-NORMAL -
Frost-free season
161 days/year
34/100 F · weight 10%Days between NOAA 50% spring and fall freeze dates; longer is better.
NOAA annual/seasonal normals ·
ANN-TMIN-PRBLST-T32FP50 + ANN-TMIN-PRBFST-T32FP50 -
Normal heat + freeze calendar
192 calendar days
18/100 F · weight 25%Normal high ≥90°F days plus normal low ≤32°F days; lower is better.
NOAA daily multivariate normals ·
DLY-TMAX-NORMAL + DLY-TMIN-NORMAL (derived counts) -
Summer moisture balance
Not measured
N/A N/A · weight 15%Not scored; its 15% weight redistributes across measured dimensions.
June–August mean dew point distance from 52.5°F; smaller is better.
NOAA hourly normals ·
HLY-DEWP-NORMAL
Live national benchmark table and calculation
Each raw metric is linearly interpolated across its live p10, p25, p50, p75, and p90 breakpoints. Equal-valued breakpoints collapse to their mean percentile; values outside p10-p90 extrapolate toward 0 or 100 using the nearest non-flat segment, then clamp to that range. Scores favor the direction shown, then combine by the listed weights. Missing dimensions are removed from both the weighted sum and available weight before normalization.
| Dimension | Weight | Better | p10 | p25 | p50 | p75 | p90 | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual temperature balance | 25% | Lower | 3.4 | 7.9 | 15.3 | 21 | 25.2 | 6,861 |
| Precipitation balance | 15% | Lower | 2.7 | 7.1 | 14.2 | 20.9 | 25.7 | 6,352 |
| Snowfall burden | 10% | Lower | 0 | 2.1 | 18.9 | 42.7 | 69.8 | 4,098 |
| Frost-free season | 10% | Higher | 127 | 150 | 180 | 215 | 253 | 6,446 |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 25% | Lower | 56 | 102 | 145 | 180 | 207 | 6,859 |
| Summer moisture balance | 15% | Lower | 2.7 | 6.1 | 9.3 | 14.8 | 18.4 | 417 |
Grades: A 85–100 · B 70–84 · C 55–69 · D 40–54 · F below 40.
Established ranking Comfort Score: 64/100 · inspect its separate fixed-point formula
This legacy score keeps the rankings stable. It uses annual/seasonal normals only; unlike the Climate Living Index above, it is not percentile-scored per dimension.
- Temperature mildness52.2°F annual mean20/40 points
- Precipitation moderation20.1 inches/year30/30 points
- Snow burdenNot measuredN/A · weight removed
- Frost-free season161 days/year4/15 points
54/85 available points → 64/100. Full Comfort Score method.
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991–2020). This record uses NOAA annual/seasonal normals and NOAA daily multivariate normals; the model also supports hourly normals where published · data updated 2026-08-04. Full methodology and limits.
How McCook compares with its closest stations
Against the 6 closest stations in the record, McCook averages 52°F a year, warmer than Red Willow Dam, NE (50°F) and Culbertson, NE (51°F). On comfort score it places 1 of 7 in that local group.
Corpus-relative placement
Where McCook sits across the climate record
These comparisons place this primary-station normal among station-mapped locations with the same NOAA 1991–2020 fields.
- Annual temperature
- Warmer than 50%
- of 6,861 measured location normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Wetter than 28%
- of 6,352 measured location normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Larger than 77%
- of 6,861 complete location-year normals.
How McCook compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
McCook's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
64 49th percentile score exceeds 49% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41°F (5°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.3" | N/A | 30.4 | 0.0 |
| February | 45°F (7°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 32°F (0°C) | 0.3" | N/A | 26.7 | 0.0 |
| March | 56°F (13°C) | 27°F (-3°C) | 42°F (5°C) | 0.9" | N/A | 22.7 | 0.1 |
| April | 65°F (18°C) | 36°F (2°C) | 51°F (10°C) | 1.8" | N/A | 9.7 | 0.4 |
| May | 75°F (24°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 3.1" | N/A | 1.5 | 3.2 |
| June | 86°F (30°C) | 58°F (15°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 3.1" | N/A | 0.0 | 11.7 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 78°F (25°C) | 3.3" | N/A | 0.0 | 20.7 |
| August | 89°F (31°C) | 62°F (17°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 3.1" | N/A | 0.0 | 15.6 |
| September | 81°F (27°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 1.6" | N/A | 0.3 | 8.2 |
| October | 68°F (20°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 53°F (11°C) | 1.4" | N/A | 8.2 | 0.9 |
| November | 53°F (12°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.6" | N/A | 23.8 | 0.0 |
| December | 42°F (6°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 30°F (-1°C) | 0.4" | N/A | 30.6 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
McCook works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 92°F by July 13 and hold at or above 90°F on 38 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 154 dates, bottoming at 16°F around January 1.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from June 30 through August 6, covering 38 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 4 to October 10.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into March 30, then returns to freezing around October 29, covering 154 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 28, when 34% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 6 at 9%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 79 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 24 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 30°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for McCook.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
2.7 days with precipitation
3.4 days with precipitation
5.2 days with precipitation
8.2 days with precipitation
10.3 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
9.9 days with precipitation
9.6 days with precipitation
6.9 days with precipitation
6.4 days with precipitation
3.5 days with precipitation
3.2 days with precipitation
McCook runs a summer-peaked wet season
48% of McCook's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is July at 3.3", on a wide 48.9°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: July, August, June, taking 48% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.3".
- Winter share: 5% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
How McCook's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 79 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 20.1" between them, or roughly 0.25 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 9
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 1
50% probability date
Growing Season
161 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
5,776
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,155
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Places with a similar climate profile
NOAA 1991–2020 annual normals connect this location to non-geographic peers. Temperature peers use annual mean temperature; energy peers use both heating and cooling degree days.
Closest annual-temperature peers
What McCook's climate means for you
McCook runs 52°F a year - peaking in July, coldest in January.
- Gardeners work an ordinary 161-day frost-free window; the last spring freeze usually lands near May 1, so start dates matter.
- Keeping warm is the dominant household load: 5,776 heating degree days against only 1,155 for cooling.
- See how McCook lines up against the rest of Nebraska and the national rankings. See rankings
Climate Guides
Data-derived climate profile
How McCook's climate pattern fits together
heating led · moderate · mid swing
McCook's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 5,776 annual heating degree days against 1,155 for cooling. Its 48.9°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
McCook's frost-free season lasts about 161 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
July and January mark the typical warm and cold ends of the calendar in McCook's middle-range seasonal profile. The measured spread is 48.9°F. The annual average is 52°F. Neither the annual mean nor one extreme month represents the full calendar on its own.
McCook's 20.1 inches of annual precipitation falls in PlainClimate's middle band, so “wet” or “dry” is not the leading description. Snowfall is not added to the interpretation because its annual value is missing. Temperature balance and the calendar distribution carry more information than the annual moisture label alone.
These labels group NOAA 1991-2020 normals from McCook's primary station, so the winter figures are a thirty-year average and not a floor: a single hard season can run well below them. They are descriptive ranges, not an official NOAA classification or a forecast for any specific year.
The year in four calendar signals
- Warmest normal
- July
- The month averages 78°F (25°C), a middling summer peak by national standards rather than an extreme one.
- Coldest normal
- January
- The monthly mean of 29°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
- Rainfall rhythm
- July to January
- July is typically wettest; January is driest.
- Mild-temperature window
- May through September
- Monthly means sit between 55°F and 75°F in this window. Freezing days are still reported from January through December.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average temperature in McCook, NE? ▼
How much rain does McCook get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does McCook get? ▼
What is the comfort score for McCook? ▼
When is the growing season in McCook? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in McCook? ▼
Where does this McCook climate data come from? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from McCook's primary station: MCCOOK MUNI AP (USW00094040). 2 NOAA stations are mapped to the McCook area; the primary station's record is used for consistency. For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3129925). The reproducible method is an exact normalized name-and-state match; unresolved is an upper bound on facilities because spelling variants can be missed.
Related
Every figure on PlainClimate is rendered directly from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.