Valentine, Nebraska climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
Valentine's normal year runs from 11°F January nights to 90°F July afternoons, with 20.9 inches of precipitation and 34 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 9.5°C, January lows of −12°C, July highs of 32°C, 531 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationValentine Miller Field Airport
- Station IDUSW00024032
- Location42.88°N 100.55°W
- Elevation2,590 ft (789 m)
- Population2,642
On October 23, the normal high in Valentine is 61°F and the normal low 31°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 Valentine.
- Jan 38° 11°
- Feb 41° 14°
- Mar 52° 24°
- Apr 61° 33°
- May 72° 44°
- Jun 83° 55°
- Jul 90° 61°
- Aug 88° 59°
- Sep 80° 49°
- Oct 65° 34°
- Nov 51° 22°
- Dec 39° 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 Valentine each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 90°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 11°F. The most precipitation falls in June (3.96 in), the least in January (0.32 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 | 38°F | 11°F | 24.5°F | 0.32 | 4.4 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h 20 min |
| February | 41°F | 14°F | 27.6°F | 0.61 | 6.5 | 6 | <1 | 27 | 10 h 30 min |
| March | 52°F | 24°F | 37.6°F | 1.01 | 6.0 | 7 | <1 | 25 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 61°F | 33°F | 47.2°F | 2.48 | 5.6 | 10 | <1 | 14 | 13 h 20 min |
| May | 72°F | 44°F | 58.1°F | 3.52 | 0.1 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 14 h 40 min |
| June | 83°F | 55°F | 69.0°F | 3.96 | 0.0 | 11 | 6 | <1 | 15 h 20 min |
| July | 90°F | 61°F | 75.7°F | 2.82 | 0.0 | 9 | 15 | <1 | 15 h |
| August | 88°F | 59°F | 73.6°F | 2.04 | 0.0 | 8 | 12 | <1 | 14 h |
| September | 80°F | 49°F | 64.2°F | 1.72 | 0.0 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 12 h 30 min |
| October | 65°F | 34°F | 49.3°F | 1.42 | 2.0 | 7 | 1 | 13 | 11 h 10 min |
| November | 51°F | 22°F | 36.2°F | 0.57 | 4.6 | 5 | <1 | 27 | 9 h 50 min |
| December | 39°F | 13°F | 26.3°F | 0.43 | 5.0 | 5 | <1 | 31 | 9 h |
| Year (annual) | 63°F | 35°F | 49.1°F | 20.90 | 34.2 | 91 | 41 | 172 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3°C | −12°C | −4.2°C | 8 mm | 11 cm |
| February | 5°C | −10°C | −2.4°C | 15 mm | 17 cm |
| March | 11°C | −5°C | 3.1°C | 26 mm | 15 cm |
| April | 16°C | 1°C | 8.4°C | 63 mm | 14 cm |
| May | 22°C | 7°C | 14.5°C | 89 mm | 0 cm |
| June | 28°C | 13°C | 20.6°C | 101 mm | 0 cm |
| July | 32°C | 16°C | 24.3°C | 72 mm | 0 cm |
| August | 31°C | 15°C | 23.1°C | 52 mm | 0 cm |
| September | 27°C | 9°C | 17.9°C | 44 mm | 0 cm |
| October | 18°C | 1°C | 9.6°C | 36 mm | 5 cm |
| November | 10°C | −6°C | 2.3°C | 14 mm | 12 cm |
| December | 4°C | −10°C | −3.2°C | 11 mm | 13 cm |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024032; 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 Valentine?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in May, June and September. 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 USW00024032.
When is the last frost in Valentine?
In Valentine, the last spring frost (32°F) comes after May 12 in half of years and after May 25 in one year in ten; the first autumn frost comes before September 29 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 121 year in 10 after May 25; 9 in 10 after April 30
- First autumn frost, half of years before
- September 291 year in 10 before September 16; 9 in 10 before October 12
NOAA puts the median frost-free season at 140 days, and the season without a hard freeze (28°F) at 158 days.
A hard freeze (28°F) comes after May 2 in half of springs and before October 8 in half of autumns.
The USDA's 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map puts Valentine in zone 5a in ZIP code 69201, the nearest ZIP area. By the map's own method, the average of each year's coldest night over 1991-2020, Valentine's NOAA station is in zone 4b: the coldest night of a typical year reaches −20°F (30 complete years); the map interpolates between stations and terrain, so the station and the ZIP area can differ by half a zone.
Frost dates for every NOAA station in Nebraska · Frost dates by ZIP code
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals (frost probabilities), station USW00024032; 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 Valentine?
In a normal year in Valentine, 41 days a year reach 90°F (7 of them 100°F or more), 172 nights fall to 32°F or colder and 91 days bring measurable precipitation.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 41a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- 7a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 172a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 41high of 32°F or less
- Days with 0.01 inch of precipitation
- 91a normal year
- Days with 1 inch of snow or more
- 12a normal year
The highest temperature in Valentine's official record (kept by the National Weather Service since 1889) is 114°F, on July 2, 1990; the lowest is −39°F, on December 22, 1989.
The wettest calendar year on that record is 1977, with 32.68 in; the snowiest season is 1919–20, with 88.5 inches.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USW00024032; records: ACIS (NOAA Regional Climate Centers), NWS threaded record VTNthr. Records use complete months only; a month missing more than three days is left out.
How humid and windy is Valentine, and how clear are its skies?
The summer (June-August) dew point averages 56°F. The muggiest month is July, with an average dew point of 59°F; the driest air comes in December (14°F). March is the windiest month (11.4 mph on average), and August has the most clear or nearly clear hours (79%).
| Month | Dew point | Humidity | Afternoon humidity | Wind | Clear or few clouds | Overcast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 16°F | 69% | 49% | 9.3 mph | 60% | 31% |
| February | 18°F | 66% | 45% | 10.3 mph | 60% | 30% |
| March | 27°F | 58% | 37% | 11.4 mph | 56% | 31% |
| April | 36°F | 57% | 36% | 11.3 mph | 57% | 29% |
| May | 49°F | 62% | 42% | 10.3 mph | 61% | 24% |
| June | 57°F | 60% | 39% | 10.0 mph | 77% | 9% |
| July | 59°F | 60% | 37% | 9.0 mph | 75% | 11% |
| August | 54°F | 57% | 33% | 10.0 mph | 79% | 10% |
| September | 40°F | 59% | 34% | 10.0 mph | 72% | 19% |
| October | 27°F | 61% | 38% | 10.0 mph | 66% | 26% |
| November | 19°F | 66% | 46% | 9.8 mph | 67% | 25% |
| December | 14°F | 70% | 52% | 9.6 mph | 64% | 28% |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 hourly normals, station USW00024032. 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 Valentine?
Over a year 79% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around Valentine, 4.4 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and April the cloudiest (72%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77% | 2.2 |
| February | 75% | 3.0 |
| March | 73% | 4.1 |
| April | 72% | 5.2 |
| May | 74% | 6.1 |
| June | 82% | 6.9 |
| July | 87% | 7.0 |
| August | 85% | 6.0 |
| September | 83% | 4.8 |
| October | 78% | 3.4 |
| November | 77% | 2.4 |
| December | 75% | 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 Valentine need?
A normal year in Valentine brings 6,691 heating degree days, 25% more than the median U.S. place (5,373), and 927 cooling degree days, 2% 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 3,053 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,255 | 0 |
| February | 1,048 | 0 |
| March | 851 | 0 |
| April | 538 | 3 |
| May | 250 | 36 |
| June | 47 | 165 |
| July | 5 | 336 |
| August | 14 | 279 |
| September | 126 | 101 |
| October | 492 | 7 |
| November | 864 | 0 |
| December | 1,201 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 6,691 | 927 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USW00024032. 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 Valentine been warmer than normal lately?
2025 averaged 49.8°F, 0.7°F above the 1991-2020 normal of 49.1°F. 3 of the 5 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51.9°F | +2.8°F | 22.69 | 48.3 |
| 2022 | 48.9°F | −0.2°F | 13.15 | 32.0 |
| 2023 | 48.6°F | −0.5°F | 30.95 | 49.8 |
| 2024 | 50.7°F | +1.6°F | 16.72 | 25.8 |
| 2025 | 49.8°F | +0.7°F | 23.01 | 31.0 |
Over 76 complete years from 1948 to 2025, the station's annual mean temperature rose at a fitted 2.7°F per century (+0.15°C per decade). A fitted rate summarizes the whole record; single years swing well above and below it.
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USW00024032; trend: NOAA GHCN-Monthly v4. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does Valentine's climate compare?
Valentine is warmer than 47 of the other 136 places with their own NOAA record in Nebraska, and wetter than 26. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 49.1°F is warmer than 36%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, Valentine is Dwa: continental, dry-winter, 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 Valentine share this climate record?
Sicangu Village 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.
- Sicangu Village, SD350 people · 9 mi N
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 Valentine's other NOAA stations record?
2 more NOAA stations keep 1991-2020 normals in or near Valentine. This page uses Valentine Miller Field Airport; the others differ by site and elevation:
| Station | From this station | Elevation | Year | Jan low | Jul high | Precip. | Snow | Last frost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valentine #1 USC00258751 | in town | 2,589 ft | 49.0°F | 13°F | 89°F | 20.8 | 29 | May 6 |
| Valentine National Wildlife Refuge USC00258755 | 22 mi S | 2,940 ft | 50.9°F | 17°F | 88°F | 23.4 | – | April 30 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for each station. Last frost: the median last spring date of 32°F.
Questions about Valentine's climate
What is the coldest month in Valentine?
January, with a normal high of 38°F and a normal low of 11°F. The warmest is July (90°F by day, 61°F at night).
Does it snow in Valentine?
Yes: 34 inches in a normal year, falling on 23 days with 0.1 inch or more, the most in February (6.5 inches).
What is the rainiest month in Valentine?
June, with 3.96 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is January with 0.32 in.
What plant hardiness zone is Valentine in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts Valentine in zone 5a in ZIP code 69201, the nearest ZIP area. By the same method at Valentine's NOAA station, the coldest night of a typical year reaches −20°F (30 years, 1991-2020): zone 4b.
How late can frost come in Valentine?
In half of years the last 32°F night comes after May 12; in one year in ten it comes after May 25. Waiting until May 25 leaves about a one-in-ten chance of a later frost.
Nearby and next
- Valentine in OctoberThis month day by day, its records and recent years
- Nebraska climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Kilgore, NE21 miles from this station, 46.1°F a year
- Mission, SD30 miles from this station, 47.5°F a year
- Springview, NE39 miles from this station, 47.1°F a year
- Harrington, SD41 miles from this station, 47.6°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made