Pawnee City, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Pawnee City's normal year runs from 15°F January nights to 88°F July afternoons. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 11.0°C, January lows of −10°C, July highs of 31°C.
- NOAA stationPawnee City
- Station IDUSC00256570
- Location40.11°N 96.15°W
- Elevation1,189 ft (362 m)
- Population844
On October 23, the normal high in Pawnee City is 64°F and the normal low 38°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for Pawnee City.
- Jan 35° 15°
- Feb 41° 18°
- Mar 53° 29°
- Apr 63° 39°
- May 73° 51°
- Jun 83° 62°
- Jul 88° 66°
- Aug 86° 63°
- Sep 79° 54°
- Oct 67° 41°
- Nov 51° 29°
- Dec 39° 20°
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 Pawnee City each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 88°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 15°F.
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 35°F | 15°F | 25.0°F | – | <1 | 30 | 9 h 40 min |
| February | 41°F | 18°F | 29.6°F | – | <1 | 25 | 10 h 40 min |
| March | 53°F | 29°F | 40.5°F | – | <1 | 20 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 63°F | 39°F | 51.1°F | – | <1 | 6 | 13 h 10 min |
| May | 73°F | 51°F | 62.4°F | – | 1 | 1 | 14 h 20 min |
| June | 83°F | 62°F | 72.2°F | – | 7 | <1 | 15 h |
| July | 88°F | 66°F | 76.7°F | – | 14 | <1 | 14 h 50 min |
| August | 86°F | 63°F | 74.8°F | – | 12 | <1 | 13 h 50 min |
| September | 79°F | 54°F | 66.3°F | – | 5 | <1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 67°F | 41°F | 53.9°F | – | 1 | 6 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 29°F | 40.1°F | – | <1 | 19 | 10 h |
| December | 39°F | 20°F | 29.1°F | – | <1 | 28 | 9 h 20 min |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 41°F | 51.8°F | – | 40 | 135 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2°C | −10°C | −3.9°C |
| February | 5°C | −8°C | −1.3°C |
| March | 11°C | −2°C | 4.7°C |
| April | 17°C | 4°C | 10.6°C |
| May | 23°C | 11°C | 16.9°C |
| June | 28°C | 16°C | 22.3°C |
| July | 31°C | 19°C | 24.8°C |
| August | 30°C | 17°C | 23.8°C |
| September | 26°C | 12°C | 19.1°C |
| October | 19°C | 5°C | 12.2°C |
| November | 11°C | −2°C | 4.5°C |
| December | 4°C | −7°C | −1.6°C |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Table Rock (9 miles away), gets 21 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00256570; 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 Pawnee City?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June, September and October.
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 USC00256570.
When is the last frost in Pawnee City?
In Pawnee City, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after April 22 in half of years and after May 7 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before October 15 in half of years and before September 29 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 221 year in 10 after May 7; 9 in 10 after April 7
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- October 151 year in 10 before September 29; 9 in 10 before October 27
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 173 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 194 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after April 12 in half of springs and before October 24 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Pawnee City in zone 6a in ZIP code 68420, 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 USC00256570; 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 Pawnee City?
In a normal year in Pawnee City, 40 days a year reach 90°F (3 of them 100°F or more) and 135 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 40a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 3a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 135a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 33high of 32°F or less
The highest temperature in this station's record (since 1903) is 117°F, on August 13, 1936; the lowest is −29°F, on January 28, 1915.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1951, with 49.88 in; the snowiest season is 1959–60, with 58.4 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00256570; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), station USC00256570. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How sunny is Pawnee City?
Over a year 77% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Pawnee City, 4.3 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (84%) and March the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 73% | 2.2 |
| February | 74% | 3.1 |
| March | 72% | 4.0 |
| April | 72% | 5.1 |
| May | 74% | 5.9 |
| June | 81% | 6.6 |
| July | 84% | 6.6 |
| August | 82% | 5.7 |
| September | 81% | 4.7 |
| October | 77% | 3.4 |
| November | 77% | 2.4 |
| December | 72% | 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 Pawnee City need?
A normal year in Pawnee City brings 5,898 heating degree days, 10% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 1,124 cooling degree days, 24% 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 3,556 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,240 | 0 |
| February | 991 | 0 |
| March | 761 | 1 |
| April | 423 | 7 |
| May | 152 | 70 |
| June | 14 | 232 |
| July | 2 | 364 |
| August | 5 | 309 |
| September | 85 | 124 |
| October | 363 | 17 |
| November | 749 | 0 |
| December | 1,113 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 5,898 | 1,124 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00256570. 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 Pawnee City been warmer than normal lately?
Over 68 complete years from 1904 to 2016, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 0.2°F per century (+0.01°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Pawnee City's climate compare?
Pawnee City is warmer than 122 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 51.8°F is warmer than 49%.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers.
Which places near Pawnee City share this climate record?
5 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.
- Bern, KS162 people · 14 mi SE
- Summerfield, KS124 people · 13 mi SW
- St. Benedict, KS59 people · 15 mi S
- Oneida, KS58 people · 20 mi SE
- Steinauer, NE58 people · 8 mi NW
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 Pawnee City's climate
What is the coldest month in Pawnee City?
January, with a normal high of 35°F and a normal low of 15°F. The warmest is July (88°F by day, 66°F at night).
Does it snow in Pawnee City?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for Pawnee City's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Table Rock (9 miles away), records 21 inches of snow in a normal year.
What plant hardiness zone is Pawnee City in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Pawnee City in zone 6a in ZIP code 68420, the nearest ZIP area.
How late can frost come in Pawnee City?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after April 22; in one year in ten it comes after May 7. Waiting until May 7 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Table Rock, NE9 miles from this station, 51.7°F a year
- Tecumseh, NE17 miles from this station, 51.3°F a year
- Baileyville, KS19 miles from this station, 51.5°F a year
- Virginia, NE21 miles from this station, 51.2°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made