Climateby Month

Lincoln, NE climate by month

NOAA 1991-2020 normals · 1,202 ft elevation

Lincoln has hot and often humid summers and cold and snowy winters. Highs peak at 89°F in July and fall to 36°F in January. The wettest month is May (about 12 wet days) and the driest is November (about 5). Normal snowfall is about 26 in a year. By our comfort score the best months are April and May.

Warmest month
89°F
July normal high
Coldest month
14°F
January normal low
Wet days a year
95
29.3 in of precipitation
Snow a year
26.0 in
normal snowfall

How warm is Lincoln?

Normal highs range from 36°F in January to 89°F in July.

0°20°40°60°80°100° January: normal high 36°F (2°C), low 14°F (-10°C) 36° 14° February: normal high 41°F (5°C), low 18°F (-8°C) March: normal high 54°F (12°C), low 29°F (-2°C) April: normal high 65°F (18°C), low 39°F (4°C) May: normal high 75°F (24°C), low 51°F (11°C) June: normal high 85°F (29°C), low 62°F (17°C) July: normal high 89°F (32°C), low 67°F (19°C) 89° 67° August: normal high 87°F (31°C), low 64°F (18°C) September: normal high 80°F (27°C), low 54°F (12°C) October: normal high 67°F (19°C), low 41°F (5°C) November: normal high 52°F (11°C), low 28°F (-2°C) December: normal high 39°F (4°C), low 18°F (-8°C) JFMAMJJASOND

Bars run from the normal low to the normal high for each month.

How rainy is Lincoln?

May has the most wet days (about 12); the year brings about 29 in of precipitation.

January: 6 wet days February: 6 wet days March: 8 wet days April: 10 wet days May: 12 wet days 12 June: 10 wet days July: 9 wet days August: 9 wet days September: 7 wet days October: 7 wet days November: 5 wet days 5 December: 6 wet days JFMAMJJASOND

Wet day: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow, counted from daily records 1991-2020.

How much does it snow?

Normal snowfall is 26.0 in a year, most of it in February.

January: 6.5 in of snow February: 7.1 in of snow 7.1 March: 3.4 in of snow April: 1.2 in of snow May: 0.1 in of snow June: 0.0 in of snow 0.0 July: 0.0 in of snow August: 0.0 in of snow September: 0.0 in of snow October: 0.9 in of snow November: 1.5 in of snow December: 5.3 in of snow JFMAMJJASOND

How humid is Lincoln?

Muggy days peak in July, at about 17 days.

January: 0 muggy days 0 February: 0 muggy days March: 0 muggy days April: 0 muggy days May: 1 muggy days June: 9 muggy days July: 17 muggy days 17 August: 15 muggy days September: 4 muggy days October: 0 muggy days November: 0 muggy days December: 0 muggy days JFMAMJJASOND

Muggy day: daily mean dew point of 65°F or higher, from hourly observations 1991-2020 at Lincoln Municipal Airport, 6.1 mi WNW of the city center.

How much daylight?

Daylight ranges from about 9.3 hours in December to 15.1 hours in June.

January: 9.6 hours of daylight February: 10.7 hours of daylight March: 12.0 hours of daylight April: 13.3 hours of daylight May: 14.5 hours of daylight June: 15.1 hours of daylight 15.1 July: 14.8 hours of daylight August: 13.8 hours of daylight September: 12.5 hours of daylight October: 11.1 hours of daylight November: 9.9 hours of daylight December: 9.3 hours of daylight 9.3 JFMAMJJASOND
See all numbers
Monthly climate normals and day counts for Lincoln, 1991-2020
MonthHighLowPrecip.Wet daysSnowMuggy daysDaylight
January 36°F14°F 0.7 in6 6.5 in 0 9.6 h
February 41°F18°F 0.9 in6 7.1 in 0 10.7 h
March 54°F29°F 1.6 in8 3.4 in 0 12.0 h
April 65°F39°F 2.7 in10 1.2 in 0 13.3 h
May 75°F51°F 4.9 in12 0.1 in 1 14.5 h
June 85°F62°F 4.5 in10 0.0 in 9 15.1 h
July 89°F67°F 3.3 in9 0.0 in 17 14.8 h
August 87°F64°F 3.3 in9 0.0 in 15 13.8 h
September 80°F54°F 2.9 in7 0.0 in 4 12.5 h
October 67°F41°F 2.1 in7 0.9 in 0 11.1 h
November 52°F28°F 1.3 in5 1.5 in 0 9.9 h
December 39°F18°F 1.2 in6 5.3 in 0 9.3 h

High and low: NOAA 1991-2020 normal daily high and low. Wet days: at least 0.01 in of rain or melted snow. Muggy days: daily mean dew point 65°F or higher.

Best months to visit Lincoln

By our comfort score, the best months are April and May.

Comfort score by month (0-100) and its parts, in days per month
MonthScoreComfortableNotable rainHot or cold
Jan 320220
Feb 392315
Mar 54746
Apr 671251
May 701482
Jun 56579
Jul 482614
Aug 493611
Sep 621255
Oct 641441
Nov 47427
Dec 330317

Score = 40 × share of comfortable days + 25 × share of days without notable rain + 20 × share of days neither hot (90°F+) nor cold (high 40°F or below) + 15 × daylight. How the score works.

Frost dates in Lincoln

The last spring frost typically comes around Apr 24, and the first fall frost around Oct 13, leaving 171 frost-free days in a typical year.

Frost and freeze dates for Lincoln
Typical date1 year in 10
Last spring frost (32°F)Apr 24after May 7
First fall frost (32°F)Oct 13before Sep 29
Last hard freeze (28°F)Apr 15after Apr 29
First hard freeze (28°F)Oct 22before Oct 8
Frost-free season171 daysunder 151 days

"Typical" is the date with a 50% chance of a later spring frost (or earlier fall frost). Planting after the "1 year in 10" spring date gives a 90% chance of no further frost. The Old Farmer's Almanac publishes 30% dates, which fall between our typical and 1-in-10 dates.

Station: Lincoln Muni Airport (USW00014939), NOAA 1991-2020 freeze probabilities. Frost dates for every city in Nebraska.

Hottest and coldest readings, 1991-2020

The highest reading was 108°F (July 19, 2006, and 1 other day); the lowest was -22°F (February 3, 1996).

From the temperature station's daily records with NOAA quality flags removed. Not an all-time record.

Near Lincoln

Similar climates elsewhere

Where the numbers come from

  • Temperature, rain, snowfall, snow depth, frost dates, humidity and wind by hour and cloud cover: Lincoln Muni Airport (USW00014939), 5.5 mi NW of the city center, 1,190 ft . NOAA normals and daily records, 1991-2020.
  • Daily humidity and wind: Lincoln Municipal Airport (725510-14939), 6.1 mi WNW of the city center, 1,170 ft . Hourly observations, 1991-2020.

Distances from the city center (USGS). Methodology · Report an error