Merriman, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Merriman's normal year runs from 14°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons, with 19.2 inches of precipitation and 32 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 8.7°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 31°C, 488 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationMerriman
- Station IDUSC00255470
- Location42.92°N 101.71°W
- Elevation3,235 ft (986 m)
- Population91
On October 22, the normal high in Merriman is 60°F and the normal low 32°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 16%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Merriman.
- Jan 36° 14°
- Feb 40° 15°
- Mar 49° 23°
- Apr 59° 30°
- May 69° 42°
- Jun 80° 52°
- Jul 88° 58°
- Aug 87° 56°
- Sep 78° 46°
- Oct 63° 34°
- Nov 48° 24°
- Dec 38° 15°
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 Merriman each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 14°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.92 in), the least in January (0.36 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 36°F | 14°F | 24.8°F | 0.36 | 4.1 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 40°F | 15°F | 27.4°F | 0.62 | 4.0 | 4 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 49°F | 23°F | 36.4°F | 0.79 | 5.8 | 5 | <1 | 24 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 59°F | 30°F | 44.4°F | 2.08 | 5.3 | 8 | <1 | 13 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 69°F | 42°F | 55.5°F | 2.99 | 0.7 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 80°F | 52°F | 65.9°F | 3.92 | 0.0 | 11 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 88°F | 58°F | 72.8°F | 2.42 | 0.0 | 8 | 12 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 87°F | 56°F | 71.4°F | 2.02 | 0.0 | 7 | 12 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 78°F | 46°F | 62.2°F | 1.60 | 0.2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 63°F | 34°F | 48.5°F | 1.36 | 2.3 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 24°F | 36.0°F | 0.59 | 5.7 | 4 | <1 | 25 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 38°F | 15°F | 26.3°F | 0.45 | 4.1 | 3 | <1 | 30 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 34°F | 47.6°F | 19.20 | 32.2 | 74 | 36 | 161 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −10°C | −4.0°C | 9 mm | 10 cm |
| February | 4°C | −9°C | −2.6°C | 16 mm | 10 cm |
| March | 10°C | −5°C | 2.4°C | 20 mm | 15 cm |
| April | 15°C | −1°C | 6.9°C | 53 mm | 13 cm |
| May | 21°C | 5°C | 13.1°C | 76 mm | 2 cm |
| June | 27°C | 11°C | 18.8°C | 100 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 14°C | 22.7°C | 61 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 13°C | 21.9°C | 51 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 26°C | 8°C | 16.8°C | 41 mm | 1 cm |
| October | 17°C | 1°C | 9.2°C | 35 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 9°C | −5°C | 2.2°C | 15 mm | 14 cm |
| December | 3°C | −9°C | −3.2°C | 11 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00255470; 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 Merriman?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June 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 USC00255470.
When is the last frost in Merriman?
In Merriman, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 13 in half of years and after May 27 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 17 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 131 year in 10 after May 27; 9 in 10 after May 2
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 17; 9 in 10 before October 14
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 138 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 159 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 3 in half of springs and before October 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Merriman in zone 5a in ZIP code 69218, 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 USC00255470; 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 Merriman?
In a normal year in Merriman, 36 days a year reach 90°F (5 of them 100°F or more), 161 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 74 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 36a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 5a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 161a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 41high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 74a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 11a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1906) is 112°F, on July 5, 1936; the lowest is −42°F, on December 23, 1983.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1998, with 28.82 in; the snowiest season is 1976–77, with 63.0 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00255470; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00255470. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Merriman?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Merriman, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and April the cloudiest (73%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 79% | 2.2 |
| February | 78% | 3.2 |
| March | 75% | 4.2 |
| April | 73% | 5.3 |
| May | 75% | 6.2 |
| June | 83% | 7.1 |
| July | 87% | 7.1 |
| August | 86% | 6.1 |
| September | 84% | 4.9 |
| October | 78% | 3.4 |
| November | 79% | 2.4 |
| December | 77% | 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 Merriman need?
A normal year in Merriman brings 6,982 heating degree days, 30% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 688 cooling degree days, 24% 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 2,667 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,248 | 0 |
| February | 1,051 | 0 |
| March | 887 | 0 |
| April | 618 | 1 |
| May | 314 | 21 |
| June | 79 | 106 |
| July | 14 | 256 |
| August | 23 | 219 |
| September | 161 | 79 |
| October | 519 | 6 |
| November | 869 | 0 |
| December | 1,199 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,982 | 688 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00255470. 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 Merriman's climate compare?
Merriman is warmer than 13 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 17. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 47.6°F is warmer than 30%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Merriman 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 Merriman's climate
What is the coldest month in Merriman?
January, with a normal high of 36°F and a normal low of 14°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 58°F at night).
Does it snow in Merriman?
Yes: 32 inches in a normal year, falling on 19 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in March (5.8 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Merriman?
June, with 3.92 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.36 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Merriman in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Merriman in zone 5a in ZIP code 69218, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Merriman?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 13; 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
- Martin, SD18 miles from this station, 47.4°F a year
- Gordon, NE25 miles from this station, 46.3°F a year
- Harrington, SD29 miles from this station, 47.6°F a year
- Kilgore, NE39 miles from this station, 46.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made