Medicine Creek Dam, Nebraska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
Medicine Creek Dam's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 89°F July afternoons, with 22.1 inches of precipitation and 16 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 10.1°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 32°C, 561 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMedicine Creek Dam
- Station IDUSC00255388
- Location40.37°N 100.23°W
- Elevation2,409 ft (734 m)
On October 23, the normal high in Medicine Creek Dam is 64°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 15%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Medicine Creek Dam.
- Jan 40° 12°
- Feb 43° 15°
- Mar 55° 24°
- Apr 63° 33°
- May 73° 45°
- Jun 84° 56°
- Jul 89° 62°
- Aug 87° 59°
- Sep 80° 50°
- Oct 67° 35°
- Nov 53° 22°
- Dec 42° 14°
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 Medicine Creek Dam each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 89°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.93 in), the least in January (0.39 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40°F | 12°F | 26.0°F | 0.39 | 3.1 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 43°F | 15°F | 28.9°F | 0.59 | 4.0 | 4 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 55°F | 24°F | 39.1°F | 0.94 | 3.1 | 5 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 33°F | 48.2°F | 2.20 | 1.0 | 8 | <1 | 12 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 45°F | 58.9°F | 3.24 | 0.0 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 84°F | 56°F | 70.0°F | 3.93 | 0.0 | 9 | 8 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 89°F | 62°F | 75.3°F | 3.28 | 0.0 | 8 | 15 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 87°F | 59°F | 73.3°F | 2.76 | 0.0 | 8 | 14 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 80°F | 50°F | 64.9°F | 1.72 | 0.0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 67°F | 35°F | 51.1°F | 1.71 | 0.4 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 53°F | 22°F | 37.5°F | 0.87 | 2.1 | 3 | <1 | 26 | 10 h |
| December | 42°F | 14°F | 27.9°F | 0.46 | 1.9 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 36°F | 50.1°F | 22.09 | 15.6 | 71 | 46 | 167 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −11°C | −3.3°C | 10 mm | 8 cm |
| February | 6°C | −10°C | −1.7°C | 15 mm | 10 cm |
| March | 13°C | −5°C | 3.9°C | 24 mm | 8 cm |
| April | 17°C | 1°C | 9.0°C | 56 mm | 3 cm |
| May | 23°C | 7°C | 14.9°C | 82 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 13°C | 21.1°C | 100 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 16°C | 24.1°C | 83 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 15°C | 22.9°C | 70 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 10°C | 18.3°C | 44 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 20°C | 2°C | 10.6°C | 43 mm | 1 cm |
| November | 12°C | −5°C | 3.1°C | 22 mm | 5 cm |
| December | 5°C | −10°C | −2.3°C | 12 mm | 5 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00255388; 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 Medicine Creek Dam?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, October has the fewest days with rain (5).
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 USC00255388.
When is the last frost at Medicine Creek Dam?
In Medicine Creek Dam, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 4 in half of years and after May 17 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 in half of years and before September 23 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 41 year in 10 after May 17; 9 in 10 after April 22
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 23; 9 in 10 before October 16
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 154 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 170 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 26 in half of springs and before October 13 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Medicine Creek Dam in zone 5b in ZIP code 69022, 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 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −11°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 USC00255388; 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 Medicine Creek Dam?
In a normal year in Medicine Creek Dam, 46 days a year reach 90°F (7 of them 100°F or more), 167 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 71 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 46a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 167a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 31high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 71a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 7a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1951) is 110°F, on July 12, 1954; the lowest is −35°F, on December 23, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1965, with 28.70 in; the snowiest season is 1983–84, with 65.9 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00255388; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00255388. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at Medicine Creek Dam?
Over a year 81% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at Medicine Creek Dam, 4.6 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and April the cloudiest (75%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 78% | 2.4 |
| February | 75% | 3.2 |
| March | 76% | 4.4 |
| April | 75% | 5.5 |
| May | 77% | 6.3 |
| June | 85% | 7.2 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 86% | 6.1 |
| September | 83% | 5.0 |
| October | 80% | 3.6 |
| November | 80% | 2.6 |
| December | 77% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does Medicine Creek Dam record?
A normal year at Medicine Creek Dam brings 6,323 heating degree days, 18% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 928 cooling degree days, 2% 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 3,130 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,207 | 0 |
| February | 1,011 | 0 |
| March | 802 | 0 |
| April | 508 | 4 |
| May | 226 | 38 |
| June | 34 | 184 |
| July | 5 | 324 |
| August | 8 | 266 |
| September | 105 | 103 |
| October | 441 | 9 |
| November | 825 | 0 |
| December | 1,151 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,323 | 928 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00255388. 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 Medicine Creek Dam's climate compare?
Medicine Creek Dam is warmer than 74 of the 137 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 32. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 50.1°F is warmer than 40%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Medicine Creek Dam is Dwa: continental, dry-winter, 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.
Questions about Medicine Creek Dam's climate
What is the coldest month at Medicine Creek Dam?
January, with a normal high of 40°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (89°F by day, 62°F at night).
Does it snow at Medicine Creek Dam?
Yes: 16 inches in a normal year, falling on 11 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (4.0 inches).
What is the rainiest month at Medicine Creek Dam?
June, with 3.93 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.39 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Medicine Creek Dam in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Medicine Creek Dam in zone 5b in ZIP code 69022, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −11°F (16 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come at Medicine Creek Dam?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 4; in one year in ten it comes after May 17. Waiting until May 17 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Cambridge, NE8 miles from this station, 51.1°F a year
- McCook, NE22 miles from this station, 52.2°F a year
- Red Willow Dam, NE22 miles from this station, 49.5°F a year
- Curtis, NE24 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