North Platte Experiment Farm, Nebraska climate: Climate normals at a NOAA weather station
North Platte Experiment Farm's normal year runs from 14°F January nights to 87°F July afternoons, with 21.2 inches of precipitation and 28 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.5°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 31°C, 539 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNorth Platte Experiment Farm
- Station IDUSC00256075
- Location41.06°N 100.75°W
- Elevation3,025 ft (922 m)
On October 23, the normal high in North Platte Experiment Farm is 60°F and the normal low 33°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 18%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for North Platte Experiment Farm.
- Jan 37° 14°
- Feb 41° 16°
- Mar 52° 25°
- Apr 61° 33°
- May 70° 45°
- Jun 81° 56°
- Jul 87° 61°
- Aug 85° 59°
- Sep 78° 50°
- Oct 64° 37°
- Nov 50° 24°
- Dec 39° 16°
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 North Platte Experiment Farm each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 87°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 14°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.70 in), the least in January (0.32 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F | 14°F | 25.7°F | 0.32 | 5.0 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 41°F | 16°F | 28.5°F | 0.48 | 5.9 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 52°F | 25°F | 38.3°F | 0.98 | 4.0 | 6 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 33°F | 46.9°F | 2.25 | 4.6 | 9 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 70°F | 45°F | 57.3°F | 3.50 | 0.1 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 81°F | 56°F | 68.2°F | 3.70 | 0.0 | 10 | 5 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 87°F | 61°F | 74.1°F | 3.03 | 0.0 | 9 | 12 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 85°F | 59°F | 72.3°F | 2.53 | 0.0 | 7 | 10 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 78°F | 50°F | 63.7°F | 1.69 | 0.1 | 6 | 5 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 64°F | 37°F | 50.0°F | 1.78 | 1.4 | 6 | <1 | 9 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 50°F | 24°F | 37.2°F | 0.53 | 3.4 | 4 | <1 | 25 | 10 h |
| December | 39°F | 16°F | 27.4°F | 0.42 | 3.8 | 3 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 62°F | 36°F | 49.1°F | 21.21 | 28.3 | 80 | 32 | 163 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −10°C | −3.5°C | 8 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 5°C | −9°C | −1.9°C | 12 mm | 15 cm |
| March | 11°C | −4°C | 3.5°C | 25 mm | 10 cm |
| April | 16°C | 1°C | 8.3°C | 57 mm | 12 cm |
| May | 21°C | 7°C | 14.1°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 27°C | 13°C | 20.1°C | 94 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 31°C | 16°C | 23.4°C | 77 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 30°C | 15°C | 22.4°C | 64 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 10°C | 17.6°C | 43 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 3°C | 10.0°C | 45 mm | 4 cm |
| November | 10°C | −4°C | 2.9°C | 13 mm | 9 cm |
| December | 4°C | −9°C | −2.6°C | 11 mm | 10 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00256075; 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 North Platte Experiment Farm?
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 USC00256075.
When is the last frost at North Platte Experiment Farm?
In North Platte Experiment Farm, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 3 in half of years and after May 15 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 10 in half of years and before September 26 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 31 year in 10 after May 15; 9 in 10 after April 19
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 101 year in 10 before September 26; 9 in 10 before October 23
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 158 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 176 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 25 in half of springs and before October 19 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts North Platte Experiment Farm in zone 5b in ZIP code 69101, 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 (29 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 USC00256075; 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 North Platte Experiment Farm?
In a normal year in North Platte Experiment Farm, 32 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more), 163 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 80 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 32a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 163a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 39high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 80a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 10a normal year
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1917) is 111°F, on July 25, 1935; the lowest is −36°F, on December 22, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2007, with 29.39 in; the snowiest season is 1983–84, with 70.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00256075; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00256075. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is it at North Platte Experiment Farm?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds at North Platte Experiment Farm, 4.5 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and April the cloudiest (74%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 2.3 |
| February | 76% | 3.2 |
| March | 74% | 4.2 |
| April | 74% | 5.3 |
| May | 75% | 6.2 |
| June | 83% | 7.0 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 85% | 6.0 |
| September | 83% | 4.9 |
| October | 79% | 3.5 |
| November | 79% | 2.5 |
| December | 76% | 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 many heating and cooling degree days does North Platte Experiment Farm record?
A normal year at North Platte Experiment Farm brings 6,541 heating degree days, 22% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 794 cooling degree days, 13% fewer 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 2,911 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,220 | 0 |
| February | 1,022 | 0 |
| March | 828 | 0 |
| April | 543 | 2 |
| May | 268 | 28 |
| June | 48 | 144 |
| July | 6 | 288 |
| August | 13 | 241 |
| September | 124 | 87 |
| October | 469 | 5 |
| November | 836 | 0 |
| December | 1,165 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,541 | 794 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00256075. 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.
Have recent years at North Platte Experiment Farm been warmer than normal?
2023 averaged 49.3°F, 0.2°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.1°F. 3 of the 3 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50.3°F | +1.2°F | 22.50 | 27.8 |
| 2022 | 49.6°F | +0.5°F | 13.12 | 25.3 |
| 2023 | 49.3°F | +0.2°F | 21.93 | – |
Over 52 complete years from 1962 to 2023, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.1°F per century (+0.23°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00256075; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does North Platte Experiment Farm's climate compare?
North Platte Experiment Farm is warmer than 47 of the 137 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 28. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.1°F is warmer than 36%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, North Platte Experiment Farm 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 North Platte Experiment Farm's climate
What is the coldest month at North Platte Experiment Farm?
January, with a normal high of 37°F and a normal low of 14°F. The warmest is July (87°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow at North Platte Experiment Farm?
Yes: 28 inches in a normal year, falling on 18 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (5.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month at North Platte Experiment Farm?
June, with 3.70 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is North Platte Experiment Farm in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts North Platte Experiment Farm in zone 5b in ZIP code 69101, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at the station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −11°F (29 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come at North Platte Experiment Farm?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 3; in one year in ten it comes after May 15. Waiting until May 15 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- North Platte, NE6 miles from this station, 49.9°F a year
- Hershey, NE12 miles from this station, 49.6°F a year
- Brady, NE20 miles from this station, 50.8°F a year
- Wallace, NE28 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