Red Cloud, NE Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Average temperature and precipitation from NOAA NCEI 1991–2020 normals →, with a derived climate comfort score
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Red Cloud's primary NOAA station, RED CLOUD.
The climate verdict for Red Cloud
Red Cloud, Nebraska has a mixed annual climate rather than one dominant extreme. Its NOAA normal shows an annual average of 51°F. Its climate comfort score of 64/100 (good) lands mid-pack nationally, exceeding 49% of station-mapped location scores.
- 51°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 64/100
- comfort score, above 49% of station-mapped location scores
- 25.5"
- annual precipitation · 19" snow
- 157 days
- frost-free days per growing season
Red Cloud: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00257070 · Red Cloud, NE 51°F mean · 25.5" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-MID · SWING-WIDE · COMF-MID · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 51°F
- RANK-MID #3,087
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Glenwood
- PRCP-MID 25.5"
- SWING-WIDE 52°F
- COMF-MID 64/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,210 HDD
- STN-1 USC00257070
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Glenwood, IA ( -0.1 °F mean)
Instrument codes from this station's NOAA 1991–2020 normals, mean temperature, corpus warmth rank, photo-finish peer station, precipitation band, seasonal swing, comfort composite, degree-day load, and field book, not a livability rating.
Mean-temperature neighbourhood
Nationwide NOAA normal poles and nearest peers, not a reprint of every NE station list.
- Red Cloud (this station) 51°F
- Cold Ashland, NE 51°F
- Near Glenwood, IA 51°F
- Near Niobrara, NE 51°F
- Near Red Oak, IA 51°F
Climate Living Index · Red Cloud
Red Cloud: 40/100 · grade D
Red Cloud publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Red Cloud, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 64/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 25.5 in · 9.5 from 35 in | 66/100 · C |
| Snowfall burden | 18.6 inches/year | 50/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 51.0°F · 16.5° from 67.5°F | 45/100 · D |
| Frost-free season | 157 days/year | 31/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 190 calendar days | 19/100 · F |
Red Cloud · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Red Cloud is a continental Köppen climate: Dfa
Coldest-month mean 24.9°F and warmest-month mean 77.2°F place this station in continental, no dry season, hot summer climates (Dfa). Class Dfa is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: continental, specifically continental, no dry season, hot summer.
- Köppen code
- Dfa
- Group
- Continental
- Warmest month
- 77.2°F
- Coldest month
- 24.9°F
Source: official public datasets monthly normals (1991–2020) at the city’s primary station. This is a station classification, not a mapped regional consensus.
National standing · heating-led station
Where Red Cloud sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Red Cloud's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 45th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- 35th percentile wetness
- Neither arid nor torrential versus 6,352 station totals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- Wider than 87%
- Warmest-to-coldest month gap for Red Cloud is large versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Red Cloud compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Red Cloud's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
64 49th percentile score exceeds 49% of 6,189 station-mapped location scores
- 0–10: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 10–20: 0 station-mapped locations (0%). Below this entry.
- 20–30: 96 station-mapped locations (2%). Below this entry.
- 30–40: 280 station-mapped locations (5%). Below this entry.
- 40–50: 1,113 station-mapped locations (18%). Below this entry.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Below this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). This entry sits in this band.
- 70–80: 650 station-mapped locations (11%). Above this entry.
- 80–90: 921 station-mapped locations (15%). Above this entry.
- 90–100: 564 station-mapped locations (9%). Above this entry.
Source NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, PlainClimate comfort index · 1991–2020
Red Cloud's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 100 complete annual observations from 1895 to 2024, RED CLOUD changed little at a fitted rate of 0.02°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Red Cloud primary station fitted change +0.02 °C/decade
Monthly Temperatures
Average daily high and low temperatures by month
| Month | Avg High | Avg Low | Mean | Precip | Snow | Freeze Days | 90°F+ Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37°F (3°C) | 13°F (-11°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 0.5" | 4.9" | 30.7 | 0.0 |
| February | 42°F (5°C) | 16°F (-9°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.7" | 5.6" | 26.9 | 0.0 |
| March | 54°F (12°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 1.3" | 2.4" | 23.8 | 0.0 |
| April | 64°F (18°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 50°F (10°C) | 2.2" | 0.8" | 11.3 | 0.3 |
| May | 74°F (23°C) | 47°F (9°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 4.2" | 0.0" | 1.6 | 2.3 |
| June | 86°F (30°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 3.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 10.2 |
| July | 91°F (33°C) | 64°F (18°C) | 77°F (25°C) | 3.9" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 17.1 |
| August | 88°F (31°C) | 61°F (16°C) | 75°F (24°C) | 3.4" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 13.4 |
| September | 80°F (27°C) | 51°F (11°C) | 66°F (19°C) | 2.0" | 0.0" | 0.8 | 5.8 |
| October | 67°F (19°C) | 37°F (3°C) | 52°F (11°C) | 2.0" | 0.8" | 10.0 | 0.8 |
| November | 52°F (11°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 1.1" | 1.1" | 24.7 | 0.0 |
| December | 40°F (4°C) | 15°F (-9°C) | 28°F (-2°C) | 0.7" | 3.0" | 30.2 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Red Cloud works both ends of the calendar. Normal highs climb to 91°F by July 16 and hold at or above 90°F on 29 dates, then normal lows drop to freezing or below on 161 dates, bottoming at 12°F around January 11.
When the heat sits
Normal highs reach 90°F from July 4 through August 1, covering 29 dates. The broader mild season, normal highs of 70°F or more, runs May 6 to October 9.
This counts calendar dates whose 1991–2020 normal high reaches 90°F. It is a smaller number than the 90°F+ day counts in the monthly table above, which measure how often the threshold was actually crossed in a typical year. A date can average 88°F and still exceed 90°F in half of all years.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 5, then returns to freezing around October 28, covering 161 dates in all.
Derived from the normal daily minimum. This is a different measure from the 50%-probability frost dates shown elsewhere on this page, which come from NOAA’s frost product.
Where the wet dates fall
The likeliest wet date is May 28, when 29% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 11 at 10%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 65 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 25 carries the biggest normal gap between afternoon and dawn, 30°F between the normal high and the normal low.
Look up any date
Any date's 1991–2020 normal for Red Cloud.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 4.9"
3.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.6"
3.2 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.4"
4.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.8"
6.3 days with precipitation
8.8 days with precipitation
8.5 days with precipitation
7.6 days with precipitation
6.5 days with precipitation
4.7 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.8"
5.1 days with precipitation
Snow: 1.1"
3.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.0"
2.9 days with precipitation
Red Cloud runs a summer-peaked wet season
43% of Red Cloud's yearly precipitation falls in June, July and August alone, against the 25% an evenly spread year would give those three months. The wettest month is May at 4.2", on a wide 52.3°F gap between its warmest and coldest month. Warm-season convection and, across the Southwest, the North American monsoon produce this shape: rain arrives in short heavy bursts during the hottest part of the year rather than as long cool-season soaking.
- Wettest three months: May, July, June, taking 46% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.5".
- Winter share: 7% falls in December, January and February.
Shares are computed from this station's own 1991-2020 monthly precipitation normals. A summer-peaked label means the June-August share reaches 35%; it describes timing across an average year, not any single season, and says nothing about how heavy an individual storm can be.
When it rains in Red Cloud, it arrives in quantity
25.5" of precipitation falls across only about 65 wet days here, averaging 0.39 inches each. Fewer days carry more water: the year's total is delivered in comparatively heavy events rather than persistent damp.
- Days with measurable precipitation
- about 65 a year, 18% of all days
- Average depth per wet day
- 0.39 inches
- Most wet days
- May, about 9
- Fewest wet days
- December, about 3
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year, and a per-day average is not a forecast of any individual storm.
Winter brings real snow to Red Cloud
Red Cloud averages 18.6 inches of snowfall a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 10 days that record measurable snow. That is depth accumulating on the ground, which is why it can exceed the annual precipitation figure: precipitation counts the liquid the snow melts down to, and fresh snow is mostly air.
- Annual snowfall: 18.6 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 10 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 7% of the year's precipitation.
NOAA 1991-2020 normals. The ten-to-one ratio is a convention, not a measurement: real ratios vary with temperature, so treat the share as an order of magnitude rather than an exact split.
Frost Dates & Growing Season
First Fall Freeze
October 5
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 1
50% probability date
Growing Season
157 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,210
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
1,124
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NE closest to Red Cloud on two NOAA annual-normal axes (mean temperature and annual precipitation). Chip rows use distinct link sets.
Closest by average temperature
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual mean temperature (51°F here).
- Deseret, UT 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Elwood, IN 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Kentland, IN 51°F · 0.0°F off
- Mannington, WV 51°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (25.5" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Raymondville, TX 25.5" · 0.0" off
- Los Alamos, NM 25.5" · 0.0" off
- Sisseton, SD 25.4" · 0.0" off
- Anson, TX 25.4" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Red Cloud
heating led · moderate · mid swing
Red Cloud's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,210 annual heating degree days against 1,124 for cooling. Its 52.3°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Red Cloud's frost-free season lasts about 157 days, a middle-length window whose endpoints matter more than the annual average. It describes freeze probability, not year-specific planting conditions.
-
1. Red Cloud coldest normal
January
Averaging 25°F (-4°C), this month sits below freezing for the month as a whole, not merely overnight.
-
2. Red Cloud typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Red Cloud snow peak
February
Red Cloud averages 18.6 inches of snow a year, with February the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Red Cloud's climate
How much snow does Red Cloud get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Red Cloud get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Red Cloud? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Red Cloud's primary station: RED CLOUD (USC00257070). For informational purposes only.
Place identity: U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer places. The 2024 Census Gazetteer identifies the exact name-and-state match as an incorporated place (GEOID 3140920). Match rule for Red Cloud: exact normalized name + state only, no fuzzy expansion, so nearby differently spelled facilities stay unmatched.
On this page every temperature, precipitation, and derived score for Red Cloud comes from its primary NOAA station record. No figure on this page is typed in by an editor - each value is rendered from NOAA 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 1991–2020 normals.