North Platte, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
North Platte's normal year runs from 12°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 21.1 inches of precipitation and 30 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.9°C, January lows of −11°C, July highs of 32°C, 535 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationNorth Platte Regional Airport
- Station IDUSW00024023
- Location41.12°N 100.67°W
- Elevation2,778 ft (847 m)
- Population22,549
On October 14, the normal high in North Platte is 67°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 North Platte.
- Jan 41° 12°
- Feb 44° 15°
- Mar 55° 24°
- Apr 63° 33°
- May 73° 44°
- Jun 84° 55°
- Jul 90° 61°
- Aug 87° 59°
- Sep 80° 48°
- Oct 66° 34°
- Nov 53° 21°
- Dec 42° 13°
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 North Platte each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 12°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.54 in), the least in January (0.39 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 | 41°F | 12°F | 26.3°F | 0.39 | 5.1 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 30 min |
| February | 44°F | 15°F | 29.4°F | 0.57 | 6.9 | 5 | <1 | 28 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 55°F | 24°F | 39.6°F | 1.00 | 4.2 | 7 | <1 | 26 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 33°F | 48.2°F | 2.29 | 3.6 | 9 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 73°F | 44°F | 58.5°F | 3.35 | 0.0 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 14 h 30 min |
| June | 84°F | 55°F | 69.7°F | 3.54 | 0.0 | 11 | 7 | <1 | 15 h 10 min |
| July | 90°F | 61°F | 75.6°F | 3.18 | 0.0 | 10 | 14 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 87°F | 59°F | 73.0°F | 2.56 | 0.0 | 9 | 11 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 80°F | 48°F | 64.2°F | 1.61 | 0.1 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 66°F | 34°F | 50.2°F | 1.65 | 2.2 | 7 | <1 | 14 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 53°F | 21°F | 37.0°F | 0.49 | 3.0 | 4 | <1 | 28 | 10 h |
| December | 42°F | 13°F | 27.5°F | 0.45 | 4.5 | 4 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| Year (annual) | 65°F | 35°F | 49.9°F | 21.08 | 29.6 | 88 | 39 | 175 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5°C | −11°C | −3.2°C | 10 mm | 13 cm |
| February | 7°C | −10°C | −1.4°C | 14 mm | 18 cm |
| March | 13°C | −5°C | 4.2°C | 25 mm | 11 cm |
| April | 17°C | 1°C | 9.0°C | 58 mm | 9 cm |
| May | 23°C | 7°C | 14.7°C | 85 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 29°C | 13°C | 20.9°C | 90 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 16°C | 24.2°C | 81 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 15°C | 22.8°C | 65 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 9°C | 17.9°C | 41 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 19°C | 1°C | 10.1°C | 42 mm | 6 cm |
| November | 11°C | −6°C | 2.8°C | 12 mm | 8 cm |
| December | 6°C | −10°C | −2.5°C | 11 mm | 11 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024023; 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 North Platte?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October. Of those, September has the fewest days with rain (7).
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 USW00024023.
When is the last frost in North Platte?
In North Platte, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 11 in half of years and after May 26 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 1 in half of years and before September 16 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 111 year in 10 after May 26; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 11 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 13
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 142 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 160 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 10 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts North Platte 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, North Platte'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 USW00024023; 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 North Platte?
In a normal year in North Platte, 39 days a year reach 90°F (4 of them 100°F or more), 175 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 88 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 39a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 4a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 175a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 31high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 88a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 9a normal year
The highest temperature in North Platte's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1874) is 112°F, on July 11, 1954; the lowest is −35°F, on January 15, 1888.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1951, with 33.44 in; the snowiest season is 1979–80, with 66.3 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00024023; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record LBFthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is North Platte, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 59°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 62°F; the driest air comes in December (15°F). March is the windiest month (10.9 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (77%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18°F | 69% | 45% | 8.3 mph | 63% | 27% |
| February | 19°F | 65% | 41% | 9.7 mph | 63% | 26% |
| March | 30°F | 60% | 37% | 10.9 mph | 59% | 29% |
| April | 39°F | 62% | 40% | 10.7 mph | 59% | 27% |
| May | 52°F | 66% | 44% | 9.2 mph | 61% | 23% |
| June | 60°F | 65% | 42% | 8.8 mph | 77% | 11% |
| July | 62°F | 69% | 45% | 7.7 mph | 74% | 13% |
| August | 57°F | 64% | 39% | 8.1 mph | 77% | 12% |
| September | 43°F | 64% | 36% | 8.8 mph | 73% | 18% |
| October | 29°F | 65% | 38% | 8.7 mph | 68% | 23% |
| November | 19°F | 68% | 43% | 8.5 mph | 71% | 21% |
| December | 15°F | 72% | 49% | 8.1 mph | 66% | 26% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024023. 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 North Platte?
Over a year 80% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around North Platte, 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 much heating and cooling does North Platte need?
A normal year in North Platte brings 6,367 heating degree days, 19% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 904 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 3,055 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,200 | 0 |
| February | 998 | 0 |
| March | 789 | 0 |
| April | 506 | 2 |
| May | 237 | 35 |
| June | 36 | 177 |
| July | 3 | 330 |
| August | 11 | 259 |
| September | 120 | 94 |
| October | 467 | 6 |
| November | 840 | 0 |
| December | 1,161 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,367 | 904 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024023. 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 North Platte been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 50.9°F, 1.0°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.9°F. 5 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.6°F | +1.8°F | 23.12 | 33.0 |
| 2022 | 50.8°F | +0.9°F | 14.23 | 25.7 |
| 2023 | 50.2°F | +0.3°F | 22.36 | 39.2 |
| 2024 | 52.2°F | +2.3°F | 21.68 | 26.8 |
| 2025 | 50.9°F | +1.0°F | 23.50 | 13.6 |
Over 140 complete years from 1875 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.2°F per century (+0.12°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00024023; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does North Platte's climate compare?
North Platte is warmer than 66 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 27. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.9°F is warmer than 40%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, North Platte 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 North Platte share this climate record?
Maxwell has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its 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.
- Maxwell, NE246 people · 8 mi E
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about North Platte's climate
What is the coldest month in North Platte?
January, with a normal high of 41°F and a normal low of 12°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in North Platte?
Yes: 30 inches in a normal year, falling on 21 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (6.9 inches).
What is the rainiest month in North Platte?
June, with 3.54 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.39 in.
What plant hardiness zone is North Platte in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts North Platte in zone 5b in ZIP code 69101, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at North Platte'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 North Platte?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 11; in one year in ten it comes after May 26. Waiting until May 26 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- North Platte in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- North Platte Experiment Farm, NE6 miles from this station, 49.1°F a year
- Hershey, NE16 miles from this station, 49.6°F a year
- Brady, NE17 miles from this station, 50.8°F a year
- Stapleton, NE24 miles from this station, 48.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made