Norfolk, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Norfolk's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 86°F July afternoons, with 27.0 inches of precipitation and 30 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.6°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 30°C, 686 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNorfolk Karl Stefan Memorial Airport
- Station IDUSW00014941
- Location41.99°N 97.44°W
- Elevation1,551 ft (473 m)
- From the center3 miles
- Population26,162
On October 22, the normal high in Norfolk is 60°F and the normal low 35°F, and the chance of measurable rain or snow is 21%.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Norfolk.
- Jan 33° 12°
- Feb 37° 16°
- Mar 50° 26°
- Apr 61° 37°
- May 72° 48°
- Jun 82° 59°
- Jul 86° 63°
- Aug 84° 61°
- Sep 77° 51°
- Oct 64° 38°
- Nov 48° 25°
- Dec 36° 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 in Norfolk each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 86°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (4.37 in), the least in January (0.61 in).
Each month has its own page with the day-by-day normals, the month's records and its recent years:
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 33°F | 12°F | 22.3°F | 0.61 | 6.9 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 37°F | 16°F | 26.3°F | 0.80 | 6.1 | 6 | <1 | 26 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 50°F | 26°F | 37.8°F | 1.44 | 4.5 | 8 | <1 | 22 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 37°F | 48.9°F | 2.73 | 2.3 | 10 | 1 | 9 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 72°F | 48°F | 60.1°F | 4.00 | 0.0 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 82°F | 59°F | 70.4°F | 4.37 | 0.0 | 11 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 86°F | 63°F | 74.8°F | 2.98 | 0.0 | 9 | 10 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 84°F | 61°F | 72.4°F | 3.50 | 0.0 | 9 | 7 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 77°F | 51°F | 64.4°F | 2.37 | 0.0 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 64°F | 38°F | 50.8°F | 2.15 | 0.8 | 7 | 1 | 8 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 48°F | 25°F | 36.8°F | 1.22 | 3.2 | 6 | <1 | 23 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 36°F | 16°F | 25.7°F | 0.84 | 6.1 | 6 | <1 | 30 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 61°F | 38°F | 49.2°F | 27.01 | 29.9 | 98 | 28 | 150 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 0°C | −11°C | −5.4°C | 15 mm | 18 cm |
| February | 3°C | −9°C | −3.2°C | 20 mm | 15 cm |
| March | 10°C | −3°C | 3.2°C | 37 mm | 11 cm |
| April | 16°C | 3°C | 9.4°C | 69 mm | 6 cm |
| May | 22°C | 9°C | 15.6°C | 102 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 15°C | 21.3°C | 111 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 30°C | 17°C | 23.8°C | 76 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 29°C | 16°C | 22.4°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 25°C | 11°C | 18.0°C | 60 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 3°C | 10.4°C | 55 mm | 2 cm |
| November | 9°C | −4°C | 2.7°C | 31 mm | 8 cm |
| December | 2°C | −9°C | −3.5°C | 21 mm | 15 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014941; 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 Norfolk?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, August and September. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (8).
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 USW00014941.
When is the last frost in Norfolk?
In Norfolk, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 30 in half of years and after May 14 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 5 in half of years and before September 21 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
- April 301 year in 10 after May 14; 9 in 10 after April 16
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 51 year in 10 before September 21; 9 in 10 before October 18
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 157 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 177 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 20 in half of springs and before October 16 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Norfolk in zone 5b in ZIP code 68701, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Norfolk's NOAA station is in zone 5b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −14°F (30 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 USW00014941; 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 Norfolk?
In a normal year in Norfolk, 28 days a year reach 90°F (1 of them 100°F or more), 150 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 98 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 28a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 150a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 46high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 98a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 10a normal year
The highest temperature in Norfolk's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1893) is 116°F, on July 17, 1936; the lowest is −39°F, on January 12, 1912.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 2007, with 37.81 in; the snowiest season is 1983–84, with 86.1 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00014941; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record OFKthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Norfolk, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 62°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 63°F; the driest air comes in December (15°F). March is the windiest month (12.4 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (76%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | 72% | 58% | 10.3 mph | 59% | 31% |
| February | 20°F | 68% | 50% | 11.5 mph | 57% | 31% |
| March | 31°F | 61% | 41% | 12.4 mph | 57% | 29% |
| April | 40°F | 60% | 42% | 11.6 mph | 57% | 28% |
| May | 53°F | 65% | 46% | 10.0 mph | 64% | 20% |
| June | 62°F | 68% | 50% | 9.4 mph | 74% | 11% |
| July | 63°F | 70% | 50% | 8.4 mph | 71% | 11% |
| August | 60°F | 69% | 49% | 9.1 mph | 76% | 13% |
| September | 45°F | 63% | 40% | 10.0 mph | 73% | 17% |
| October | 31°F | 63% | 43% | 10.6 mph | 67% | 24% |
| November | 21°F | 70% | 53% | 10.7 mph | 65% | 26% |
| December | 15°F | 74% | 60% | 10.6 mph | 61% | 31% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00014941. Monthly averages of all hours; afternoon humidity at 3 p.m. local standard time; sky as the share of hours NOAA's observations rate clear or few clouds (a dash where NOAA publishes no sky value).
How sunny is Norfolk?
Over a year 78% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Norfolk, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (84%) and March the cloudiest (71%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 75% | 2.2 |
| February | 76% | 3.1 |
| March | 71% | 4.0 |
| April | 73% | 5.1 |
| May | 74% | 5.9 |
| June | 81% | 6.7 |
| July | 84% | 6.7 |
| August | 82% | 5.7 |
| September | 81% | 4.6 |
| October | 77% | 3.3 |
| November | 77% | 2.4 |
| December | 72% | 1.8 |
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 Norfolk need?
A normal year in Norfolk brings 6,623 heating degree days, 23% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 907 cooling degree days, 0% 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 3,133 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,325 | 0 |
| February | 1,083 | 0 |
| March | 844 | 1 |
| April | 488 | 7 |
| May | 206 | 54 |
| June | 29 | 191 |
| July | 4 | 308 |
| August | 11 | 240 |
| September | 116 | 96 |
| October | 449 | 10 |
| November | 848 | 0 |
| December | 1,220 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,623 | 907 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00014941. 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 Norfolk been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 51.1°F, 1.9°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.2°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.7°F | +2.5°F | 25.66 | 24.7 |
| 2022 | 50.5°F | +1.3°F | 13.27 | 7.1 |
| 2023 | 51.9°F | +2.6°F | 27.52 | 30.3 |
| 2024 | 52.8°F | +3.6°F | 27.92 | 23.5 |
| 2025 | 51.1°F | +1.9°F | 28.32 | 26.5 |
Over 79 complete years from 1947 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 4.0°F per century (+0.22°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00014941; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Norfolk's climate compare?
Norfolk is warmer than 49 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 67. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.2°F is warmer than 37%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Norfolk is Dfa: continental, no dry season, 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.
Which places near Norfolk share this climate record?
4 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.
- Woodland Park, NE1,648 people · 7 mi NE
- Battle Creek, NE1,178 people · 8 mi W
- Hadar, NE291 people · 8 mi N
- Hoskins, NE269 people · 11 mi NE
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 Norfolk's other NOAA stations record?
One more NOAA station keeps 1991-2020 normals in or near Norfolk. This page uses Norfolk Karl Stefan Memorial Airport; the other differs by site and elevation:
| Station | From the center | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk (4 mi W) USC00255997 | 3 mi W | 1,545 ft | 48.1°F | 10°F | 85°F | 27.9 | 26 | May 1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Norfolk's climate
What is the coldest month in Norfolk?
January, with a normal high of 33°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (86°F by day, 63°F at night).
Does it snow in Norfolk?
Yes: 30 inches in a normal year, falling on 22 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in January (6.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Norfolk?
June, with 4.37 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.61 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Norfolk in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Norfolk in zone 5b in ZIP code 68701, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Norfolk's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −14°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 5b.
How late can frost come in Norfolk?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 30; in one year in ten it comes after May 14. Waiting until May 14 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Norfolk in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Madison, NE11 miles from this station, 48.5°F a year
- Stanton, NE11 miles from this station, 49.4°F a year
- Clarkson, NE24 miles from this station, 48.7°F a year
- Osmond, NE27 miles from this station, 48.1°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made