Sidney, NE Climate: Temperature & Rain by Month
Annual temperature and rainfall from NOAA NCEI's 1991–2020 normals →; comfort score computed by PlainClimate
30-year climate normals (1991-2020) from Sidney's primary NOAA station, SIDNEY 6 NNW.
The climate verdict for Sidney
Dryness leads the climate profile for Sidney, Nebraska, with 18.2 inches of precipitation a year. NOAA records an annual average of 49°F. At 49/100 (moderate) the climate comfort score falls in the bottom third of the station-mapped U.S. score corpus, exceeding only 18% of scores.
- 49°F
- annual average temperature (NOAA normal)
- 49/100
- comfort score, above 18% of station-mapped location scores
- 18.2"
- annual precipitation · 29" snow
- 149 days
- frost-free growing season
Sidney: NOAA 1991-2020 normals describe a typical year, not a forecast. Method: /methodology.
Normals record plate
Sheet USC00257830 · Sidney, NE 49°F mean · 18.2" precip
TEMP-COOL · RANK-COOL · PHOTO-FINISH · PRCP-DRY · SWING-WIDE · COMF-LOW · LOAD-HEAT · STN-1 · BOOK-FULL
- TEMP-COOL 49°F
- RANK-COOL #2,539
- PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Dundee
- PRCP-DRY 18.2"
- SWING-WIDE 45°F
- COMF-LOW 49/100
- LOAD-HEAT 6,373 HDD
- STN-1 USC00257830
- BOOK-FULL 6/6 fields
Nearest mean-temperature peer: Dundee, MI (+ 0 °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.
- Hot Price Carbon Co…, UT 50°F
- Near Dearborn, MI 50°F
- Sidney (this station) 49°F
- Near Dundee, MI 49°F
- Near Yellowtail Dam, MT 49°F
Climate Living Index · Sidney
Sidney: 35/100 · grade F
Sidney publishes 5 of 6 Living Index dimensions (NOAA annual/seasonal normals · NOAA daily multivariate normals); 1 missing weight rescale to 100.
PlainClimate-derived for Sidney, not an official NOAA rating. Rankings still use Comfort Score 49/100 (separate formula). Breakpoints and limits.
| Dimension | Station value | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Precipitation balance | 18.2 in · 16.8 from 35 in | 40/100 · D |
| Snowfall burden | 28.8 inches/year | 40/100 · D |
| Annual temperature balance | 49.4°F · 18.1° from 67.5°F | 38/100 · F |
| Normal heat + freeze calendar | 172 calendar days | 31/100 · F |
| Frost-free season | 149 days/year | 24/100 · F |
Sidney · 2026-08-04 · NOAA NCEI Climate Normals · method · Comfort Score method.
Sidney's normals sit in a dry climate class: BSk
Precipitation is low relative to temperature but above true desert thresholds: cold semi-arid steppe (BSk). Class BSk is the Peel et al. (2007) label for this station's monthly mean temperature and precipitation normals: dry (arid or semi-arid), specifically cold semi-arid steppe.
- Köppen code
- BSk
- Group
- Dry (arid or semi-arid)
- Warmest month
- 73.9°F
- Coldest month
- 28.8°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 Sidney sits across the climate record
Three NOAA fields for Sidney's primary station, temperature, precipitation, and seasonal swing, are ranked against every station-mapped normal that carries the same field.
- Annual temperature
- 37th percentile warmth
- Mid-pack annual mean versus 6,861 station normals.
- Annual precipitation
- Drier than 75%
- Sidney's annual total ranks in the drier third of 6,352 measured normals.
- Seasonal temperature swing
- 60th percentile swing
- Typical seasonal amplitude versus 6,861 complete station-years.
How Sidney compares across U.S. station-mapped locations
Sidney's comfort score vs. all station-mapped locations
PlainClimate composite comfort index (1–100), NOAA 1991–2020 normals
49 18th percentile score exceeds 18% 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%). This entry sits in this band.
- 50–60: 1,329 station-mapped locations (21%). Above this entry.
- 60–70: 1,236 station-mapped locations (20%). Above this entry.
- 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
Sidney's measured station temperature trend
MethodologyAcross 40 complete annual observations from 1928 to 2025, SIDNEY 6 NNW warmed at a fitted rate of 0.24°C per decade. The line shows the fitted change relative to its first year, not raw year-to-year temperatures or a forecast.
- Sidney primary station fitted change +0.24 °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 | 41°F (5°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 29°F (-2°C) | 0.3" | 3.8" | 30.1 | 0.0 |
| February | 43°F (6°C) | 19°F (-7°C) | 31°F (-1°C) | 0.5" | 4.9" | 26.8 | 0.0 |
| March | 53°F (11°C) | 26°F (-3°C) | 39°F (4°C) | 0.9" | 4.3" | 25.5 | 0.0 |
| April | 60°F (15°C) | 33°F (1°C) | 46°F (8°C) | 1.9" | 3.2" | 15.5 | 0.0 |
| May | 69°F (21°C) | 43°F (6°C) | 56°F (13°C) | 3.0" | 0.7" | 3.3 | 0.6 |
| June | 81°F (27°C) | 53°F (12°C) | 67°F (20°C) | 3.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 5.4 |
| July | 88°F (31°C) | 59°F (15°C) | 74°F (23°C) | 2.6" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 14.7 |
| August | 86°F (30°C) | 57°F (14°C) | 72°F (22°C) | 2.1" | 0.0" | 0.0 | 11.1 |
| September | 78°F (26°C) | 48°F (9°C) | 63°F (17°C) | 1.6" | 0.1" | 1.2 | 4.3 |
| October | 64°F (18°C) | 35°F (2°C) | 49°F (10°C) | 1.1" | 2.4" | 12.1 | 0.2 |
| November | 51°F (10°C) | 25°F (-4°C) | 38°F (3°C) | 0.5" | 3.7" | 25.4 | 0.0 |
| December | 41°F (5°C) | 17°F (-8°C) | 29°F (-1°C) | 0.4" | 5.7" | 30.0 | 0.0 |
The year, day by day
Summer here tops out rather than builds: the warmest normal high is 89°F around July 16, short of 90°F on every date, while 172 dates carry a normal low at or below freezing, the coldest 16°F near December 25.
The freezing stretch
The normal low stays at or below 32°F into April 12, then returns to freezing around October 24, covering 172 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 31, when 31% of years recorded at least a hundredth of an inch. The driest is January 5 at 7%. Summed across the calendar, that is about 61 wet dates a year.
The widest day
September 12 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 Sidney.
Monthly Precipitation
Average monthly rainfall and snowfall
Snow: 3.8"
2.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.9"
3.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 4.3"
4.4 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.2"
5.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.7"
8.6 days with precipitation
8.4 days with precipitation
7.3 days with precipitation
5.9 days with precipitation
Snow: 0.1"
5.0 days with precipitation
Snow: 2.4"
4.5 days with precipitation
Snow: 3.7"
2.6 days with precipitation
Snow: 5.7"
2.2 days with precipitation
Sidney runs a summer-peaked wet season
43% of Sidney'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 June at 3.1", on a wide 45.1°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: June, May, July, taking 48% of the annual total between them.
- Driest month: January at 0.3".
- 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.
How Sidney's precipitation splits across the calendar
About 61 days a year record measurable precipitation here, carrying 18.2" between them, or roughly 0.30 inches on a typical wet day. That sits in the middle band: neither the many-light-days pattern of the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes, nor the few-heavy-events pattern of the Gulf and the desert Southwest.
A wet day is one recording at least 0.01 inches. These are 1991-2020 normals: they describe an average year and say nothing about the heaviest single storm on record.
Winter brings real snow to Sidney
Sidney averages 28.8 inches of snowfall a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals, spread across roughly 12 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: 28.8 inches of depth.
- Days recording measurable snow: about 12 a year.
- At a rough ten-to-one melt ratio, snow accounts for on the order of 16% 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 4
50% probability date
Last Spring Freeze
May 8
50% probability date
Growing Season
149 days
Heating & Cooling Degree Days
Annual totals indicate energy demand for heating and cooling
Heating Degree Days
6,373
Higher = more heating needed
Cooling Degree Days
735
Higher = more cooling needed
Warmest Month
July
Coldest Month
January
Nationwide similar cities
Other rankable U.S. places outside NE closest to Sidney 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 (49°F here).
- Adrian, MI 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Albany, NY 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Capulin, NM 49°F · 0.0°F off
- Corning, IA 49°F · 0.0°F off
Closest by annual precipitation
Nearest out-of-state peers by annual precipitation (18.2" here), excluding temperature-peer places.
- Lava Hot Springs, ID 18.3" · 0.0" off
- Mohall, ND 18.2" · 0.0" off
- Turtle Lake, ND 18.2" · 0.0" off
- Fort Pierre, SD 18.3" · 0.0" off
Snow and freeze rhythm
When cold and snow define Sidney
heating led · dry · mid swing
Sidney's energy balance leans toward cold weather: 6,373 annual heating degree days against 735 for cooling. Its 45.1°F seasonal range still makes the monthly rows more useful than the annual average alone.
Only about 149 days are frost-free in a normal year. That short interval is consistent with the cold-season signal, but the measure does not predict the exact first or last freeze in any one year.
-
1. Sidney coldest normal
January
The monthly mean of 29°F (-2°C) sits near freezing, so cold nights and above-freezing afternoons share the same month.
-
2. Sidney typical freeze period
January through December
The station reports average freezing days from January through December.
-
3. Sidney snow peak
December
Sidney averages 28.8 inches of snow a year, with December the snowiest month on the normals.
Questions about Sidney's climate
How much snow does Sidney get? ▼
How many days above 90°F does Sidney get? ▼
How much energy does heating and cooling require in Sidney? ▼
Data Sources
Data source: NOAA U.S. Climate Normals v1.0.1 (1991-2020). All figures on this page are from Sidney's primary station: SIDNEY 6 NNW (USC00257830). 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 3145295). Match rule for Sidney: 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 Sidney 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.